


Heal Our Wings

by StorytellerElaine



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Gen, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Karasuno Family, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pro Volleyball Player Hinata Shouyou, Protective Karasuno Volleyball Club, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Tokyo Nationals Arc (Haikyuu!!)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:40:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 60,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28881858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StorytellerElaine/pseuds/StorytellerElaine
Summary: The Karasuno Volleyball Team is preparing to go to Nationals. The thirds years are trying hard not to think about their last Tournament, the second years are excited and nervous and the first years? Well, the first years are acting weird.Fresh out of their training camps, setter Kageyama and middle blockers Hinata and Tsukishima don't know what to do anymore. How do they act? What is their place in this team? Had they been doing the right thing? Was there a chance that they could do more?Daichi and Coach Ukai are about to lose their patience when suddenly a tanned man with the body of a professional athlete and hair as orange as a tangerine falls right into their gym. The man took one look at them and started cursing in what felt like five different languages.(A Haikyu!! Fanfic about ASAS Sao Paulo Hinata Shouyou meeting the Pre-Nationals Karasuno Volleyball Team).
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou & Karasuno Volleyball Club, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 160
Kudos: 316





	1. Chaos In The Court

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi is struggling to keep the team together after the camps the first years took when a man appears in the middle of the gym.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone. Welcome to my first Haikyu!! Fanfic. I have wanted a Haikyu!! Time Travel story for so long but I haven't been able to find one so I decided to write one instead. I love Post-Timeskip Hinata and I always felt like the Nationals arc needed more so I decided to combine the two. Sorry if the characters are a little OOC, this is my first time writing them. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> *Any mistakes are mine and mine alone, feel free to point them out since English is not my first language. I haven't played Volleyball since Junior High so sorry if my knowledge of the sport is not the best.*
> 
> P. S - For those of you following my One Piece fics those are getting an update soon.

Sawamura Daichi, - Captain of the Boy's Volleyball Club at Karasuno High School, - didn't know what to do anymore. For the very first time of his - almost - three years of High School, his team was about to go to Nationals and they were a total disaster.

Daichi, Suga, Asahi, and Shimizu-san, were trying very hard not to think about their last Tournament. All of them were quitting Volleyball after this, a decision that had been made a long time ago.

Daichi, Suga, and Asahi, had finally made their dream of going to Nationals come true. The dream of those three bright eyed first-years, that had come to Karasuno full of hopes and enthusiasm had finally, finally become a sweet, sweet reality. They were so excited and nervous, they could barely keep their feelings at bay, but they held them in.

They were the older ones now. They needed to make an example, they needed to be strong, to be calm and collected. They needed to support their younger teammates.

They needed to be strong for them, to be there for them when they needed them. They needed to take _them_ to the top, just like _they_ took them to the top. They were the old crows, the ones with big and strong wings, wings that already knew how to fly, they needed to teach the younglings how to fly too.

Then there were the second-years, most of them were at the bench right now, with only Tanaka and Nishinoya taking center stage. Daichi can tell that they're trying hard, even harder than before, but he also knows that they still hold doubts about what their place is on this team.

They weren't the bright eyed baby crows eager to take flight and test their new wings and they weren't the old crows either, their wings weren't that strong yet, their flying wasn't that smooth. They weren't the little kids trying to test anything and everything, they weren't the veteran parents who already knew what worked and what didn't.

They are the inbetween, they're the older brothers. The ones who calm down the parents and help them when things become a little too much. They're the older brothers who support the younger brothers when they need them or scold them when things become a little too dangerous. They're the ones that keep everything together, they're the referees of this match.

The Guardian Deity of Karasuno, who akways has everyones' back. The Reliable Ace in the making, the one that you know you can always count on no matter what. And the new level headed Captain, the one that fills every hole his team might've.

Daichi knows that next year, those three and the rest of the other second-years, are going to be a force to be reckoned with, but right now, they seem lost. They aren't the stars of the show and they know it. This isn't their year, they have to wait for the perfect time.

Then there were the first-years, those five unbelievable gifted rookies.

There was Yamaguchi and Yachi-san, those two shy first-years that didn't seem like much at first glance, but who were full of surprises once you get to know them. Daichi knows that in a few years, Yachi-san is going to be one of the best managers out there, and Yamaguchi is going to be an incredible player and an amazing Captain. Daichi can recognize one when he sees one, and Daichi can't wait for the day that he gets to see the young man proudly wearing the same Jersey that now belongs to him.

Then there was Tsukishima, an incredible blocker in the making that didn't seem to care much about the game at first glance but whose hunger for winning grows more and more with every game, Daichi knows that Tsukishima is going to go far but the kid is going to do it at his own pace, he wasn't going to be left behind, but he wasn't going to rush either. He was flying at a steady pace and it was working wonders for him.

Then there was Kageyama, an amazing setter and well rounded player, there are no doubts about him going far. If there was someone in here who was going to make it into the pro-leagues, then it was him. The guy wasn't perfect of course, his attitude and social skills needed one heck of a job. The guy stretched the line between being amazing and annoying way too much that it snapped way too often. As a Volleyball player he was perfect, way too perfect many would say, but as a person he left much to be desired. Daichi wanted to help more with that, but with Kageyama it always felt as if you took one step forward and two backwards. You never knew how the guy was going to act until he did and it was kind of scary at times.

Then there was the overwhelming rising talent of Hinata Shouyou, if there is someone in here who could one day surpass Kageyama, and many others out there, then it was him. But as of right now, the kid is lost, he hasn't found his place in the world or in the sport he's so passionate about. Daichi sometimes feels like Kageyama was like a cage around the little crow, never letting him go, never letting him grow, never letting him free. Never letting him fly as freely as he so much desired, Hinata is a free spirit, always wanting to try new things, always wanting to go farther, faster, to do more. The little guy is the definition of freedom and evolution.

Kageyama was a perfectionist, a strong well rooted tree in the most fertile soil. He was growing strong and beautiful with the things he already has. Hinata was a seed still trying to look for a place to bloom, and once he founds it, he would grow even more stronger and beautiful. He just needed time, just a little time. Time that Daichi sometimes felt that Kageyama wasn't willing to give him.

Hinata and Kageyama were so alike, but so different at the same time. One always knew what he was missing, while the other one never knew what he needed, and now that they have come together, they don't know how to act around each other.

Everyone is lost, no one knew their places yet, and it was a total disaster.

Daichi saw how Kageyama set another ball that was clearly meant for Hinata, but the little crow decided to act as a decoy instead, and he let Asahi do the spiking. Daichi saw how Ennoshita was able to save the ball and passed it to Suga, who made a perfect set to Yamaguchi, who got blocked by Tsukishima, earning Daichi's team the match.

Daichi saw his team celebrating and praising the tall first year for earning them the win. Suga and Daichi shared a look and Daichi sighed, so he wasn't the only one who noticed what a disaster these three sets had been. They won, yes. But it was more of a miracle than anything else.

"Nice one, Tsukki!" Daichi heard someone said. For a moment, he wondered why Yamaguchi was praising Tsukishima, when it had been him that blocked his spike, making Yamaguchi's team lose. But then Daichi realized that it hadn't been _Yamaguchi_ the one who had said that, but _Hinata_ instead. The little crow raised his hand, clearly asking the tall middle blocker for a high five. The taller boy smirked in a mischievous way, he then high fived the smaller boy, a little faster and harder than it was neccessary, Hinata complained about the pain.

"Bet you can't do something like that, you orange hamster. Are you sure you're a middle blocker?" Tsukishima started to tease the smaller boy, but he was stopped by Coach Ukai.

"Alright, kids. Make a line, make a line, Coach is gonna give you a few pointers," Coach Ukai said and started to pretty much scold them.

_He wasn't sugarcoating anything, was he?_

"You saw it too, didn't you?" Suga asked him after Coach was done talking to them. Daichi swallowed his water and put his bottle down. He looked at Suga in confusion and asked, "Saw what?"

Suga rolled his eyes, "Oh don't play dumb, Daichi. I know you saw it, that dark aura around Kageyama, and the new developments of Tsukishima and Hinata."

 _Yeah, Daichi saw them, alright_. He saw how Kageyama was being snappier than usual. Something was bothering the guy and it was showing on the court. Daichi really didn't want to say it, but the guy was acting as he used to do back in Junior High. He was acting as ' _The King of the Court,_ ' and not as the setter all of them knew.

Then there was also Hinata and Tsukishima, their own sun and moon. Hinata hadn't spiked many balls in the three sets they had played against Suga and his team, Hinata seemed to be trying to go more for receives and blocks and acting as a decoy instead of spiking. Which was good in Daichi's eyes, to be honest, but at the same time, it was also weird. It also seemed to be irritating Kageyama more than he already was.

Then there was also Tsukishima's growth. The tall first year seemed to be blocking and spiking more than before and that wasn't all.

Hinata and Tsukishima had synced spectacularly today. When Tsukishima noticed that his blocks wasn't going to be enough, he had manipulated them in a way that the ball would go straight to where Hinata was already waiting for it, as if he knew all along that the ball was going to go that way.

Daichi was very happy about that, he really, really was. He was happy that Tsukishima and Hinata had finally realized that they're teammates and not opponents on the court. That they play the same position and that they should work with each other, not against each other, but it seemed that the 'Tsukishima and Hinata' new teamwork came with a sacrifice.

Kageyama and Hinata hadn't synced at all during the three sets they just played. And Daichi could tell that it was pissing Kageyama off to no end.

Daichi sighed and pinched his nose. "What the hell happened at those camps?" Daichi asked for what felt like the tenth time today.

Suga shrugged beside him. "Dunno, Kageyama seems like he's being very open about it, but you can tell that he's hiding something, or well more like something's bothering him. Hinata has also being very open about it, but he apologizes more than actually telling us something about his stay at the camp. As for Tsukishima, well he's _Tsukishima_."

Suga was right, Kageyama had told them about his camp, he told them about setter Miya Atsumu, and you could tell that he was a little jealous of the guy. He told them about top three ace, Sakusa Kiyoomi. And all the other players that had been there, and he even made some jabs at Hinata about a ' _Little Giant_ ', jabs that didn't seem to bother Hinata as much as he seemed to be expecting. But everyone could tell that something was bothering Kageyama.

Hinata on the other hand, he seemed to apologize more than actually telling them about how his little trip had gone. They had learned more about his stay there during the match from his little comments to Tsukishima than from his actual story. That seemed to be another reason of why Kageyama was mad.

Daichi sighed and he also heard Suga sighing right beside him, this was going to explode any minute now.

Coach Ukai called them back to the court, it was time for another practice match against Suga and his team.

Time after time, Daichi noticed how Kageyama tossed balls that were obviously meant for Hinata, but only sometimes the little decoy spiked them, most of the times, he prefered to act as a decoy and let Asahi or Tanaka spike them, or he had received and Kageyama was let with no other option than to choose someone else.

It was the second set of their second match against Suga and the others. Suga had won the first round and his team was now at match point, if they scored this one, they would win the whole match. Ennoshita spiked the ball, Nishinoya was able to saved it but it had been long, Kageyama set it in a way that it'll go to Hinata but Hinata acted as a decoy once again, and he let Tsukishima do the spiking. Narita was able to saved it, and Suga set it for Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi seemed to have learned from the past match, and he spiked the ball straight down. None of them had been able to save it, Suga and his team cheered in delight, they won the match. Daichi heard Coach Ukai calling them and started to walk towards him but a small ' _thud_ ' from behind him made him stop.

Kageyama had Hinata pinned to the floor, his face was an angry red.

"Oi. Why haven't you been spiking any of my tosses today? What's wrong with you!?" Kageyama asked angrily, Hinata tried to get out of his hold, but Kageyama was stronger than him.

"I'm practicing my receives and my blocks more..." Hinata tried to explain but that seemed to make Kageyama even more angry than before. "And who said you could practice them?! Your receives and your blocking sucks, the only reason why you're here is because you score points so stop being useless!"

"Kageyama!" Daichi and Suga shouted at the same time. Hinata seemed to lose his fight all of a sudden. "I know I suck, that's why I'm practicing."

"I already told you, as long as I'm here..." Kageyama tried to say but a shout from Hinata made him stop. Daichi was sure that Hinata's words had frozen him in place, because it's something that Kageyama had probably never thought of.

"But you're not always going to be here! What do I do then!?" Hinata shouted and with a sudden burst of strength, he managed to get himself free and he ran away from the gym. Suga tried to go after him but Coach Ukai and Sensei stopped him.

"Let him cool down first, he'll be back soon. As for you Kageyama, take a little break for a while, as for the rest of you, take five and then start practicing your serves and receives," Coach Ukai said and everyone reluctantly obeyed. Daichi looked at Kageyama and noticed just how down the poor guy looked.

Daichi wanted to say something but he didn't know what to say or do, this wasn't the first fight that Kageyama and Hinata had, but something felt different about it. Daichi felt as if their relationship was in danger.

For the rest of practice, they continued practicing their serves and receives. Nishinoya was the better at receives, with Daichi coming in second. Asahi was the better one at serves, with Yamaguchi being second. After about ten or fifteen minutes into their practice, Hinata came back and started practicing his receives with Nishinoya.

Daichi looked at Kageyama, who had been practicing with a ball by himself in a corner of the gym. It was clear that he had noticed Hinata's return, if the looks he kept sending Hinata's and Nishinoya's way was any indication. Daichi sighed and started practicing receives with Suga.

"Man, you can feel the tension in the air, can't you?" Suga asked and Daichi hummed in affirmation. "I'm worried about them, about the whole team to be honest. I don't know what to do," Daichi admitted and Suga looked at him.

"You know, Daichi. Sometimes, I think that you worry too much, but right now? I'm with you. We're finally going to Nationals, the dream that we all share is finally coming true and everyone seems to be on edge. Everyone seems lost, we were finally becoming a team and now it's like we're starting all over again," Suga said and Daichi nodded in agreement and understanding.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Besides, those two being at odds with each other is going to complicate many things," Daichi said with another sigh.

"But are you surprised, really? It feels like, like this has been coming for a very long time now. Hinata wants to fly, but Kageyama doesn't seem to want him to. For years, Kageyama looked for him, and now that he has him..."

"He doesn't want to let him go."

"Exactly, Hinata on the other hand, he never knew he needed Kageyama, so when he found him..."

"He saw him as a rival, as a goal. He saw him as where he needed to go, and not as where he needed to stay."

"Life is cruel, isn't it?" Coach Ukai asked from behind them. "You know, Captains. I think we need a meeting, ASAP." Suga and Daichi nodded and called everyone for a meeting.

Coach Ukai asked them to make a circle and sit on the floor. He asked Shimizu-san and Yachi-san for some notes, he then sat down on the bench facing them, Coach Ukai sighed and looked at his notes.

"Okay, first things firsts. Serves, guys. Practice your serves every day if necessary. Serves are one of our weaknesses. Nationals are scary, guys. There are people with killer serves over there. The whistle blows and next thing you know the opposite team just scored a service ace. Kageyama, Asahi, and Yamaguchi, you guys are the better ones at serves right now, keep practicing but also help me with the other ones a little bit, especially with Hinata and Tsukishima, out of all our regulars, their serves are the weakest ones. Remember that we're a team guys, we need to work together, okay?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Next thing, receives. Everyone needs to practice their receives. Which are also our weaknesses. Nishinoya, you're better at them than any of us. So please, help me during practice with the others. You too, Daichi."

"Yes, sir."

"At Nationals, many opponents would look at some of you and aim for you, they'll try to make you take a knee. So please, please. Practice your receives. Another thing is, blocking. Read block, guys. Observe first, see where the ball is going before you jump or make a move. Sometimes, we jump too early, and that's how the other team scores. Spikers, spice things a little bit, don't always make the same moves, don't let your opponents get a read on you, change things around. If you're having trouble with something, then practice and practice, don't stop until you get right, got it?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Kageyama, you're an extremely good setter, but you're going to go against even better ones, and not just good ones, you're also going to go against experienced ones. Setters who have already gone to Nationals before, setters who already know the rhythm of that court. So, please, try to keep a level head. Relax a little bit more, everyone in here is nervous, everyone feels pressure. Talk with your teammates a little bit more, make a game plan together. Relax, we're a team, okay? You're not alone in this."

"Yes, sir."

"Well, that's it for now. Stretch for a while. We're gonna have another practice match soon."

"Yes, sir!"

This time, things were even worse than before, Tsukishima missed some spikes because Kageyama tossed them too high. Kageyama's serves were mostly out because he went at them a little too hard. He also snapped at Nishinoya or Hinata for ' _being in the way_ ' when they received. It got so bad that Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei asked for a time out.

"Kageyama, what's wrong? Did something happened at the Youth Camp? Or at home?" Takeda-sensei asked but Kageyama shook his head.

"Nothing happened, I'm fine," Kageyama answered and Coach Ukai sighed in exasperation.

"You don't seem fine, Kageyama. Is something bothering you?" Coach Ukai asked and Kageyama shook his head. If Daichi had to guess, he would tell you that Kageyama was biting his tongue, trying hard not say all the things he wanted to say.

"Since the King is not having a good day, can we please go home?" Tsukishima asked and that comment made Kageyama snap.

"Don't call me that!" Kageyama said in an angry voice, Tsukishima just rolled his eyes.

"And why shouldn't I? You're acting like one. So, excuse me for pointing out the obvious, Your Majesty. Acting like a Goody-Two-Shoes is not going to fix what you did before, you know," Tsukishima said with a sneer.

"What was that?!" Kageyama asked and grabbed a hold of Tsukishima's shirt. Tsukishima tried to push him away, but Kageyama wasn't letting go, he was really angry.

"Kageyama! Tsukishima!" Daichi shouted, and along with Coach Ukai, they managed to separate the two before things got even more ugly than they already were.

"Both of you calm down or I'll bench the two of you," Coach Ukai threatened and that made both boys stop struggling.

"He started it," Kageyama said.

"Me? You're the one acting all prickly," Tsukishima retorted.

"Enough!" Daichi shouted. He was about to tell everyone to go for a run to cool their heads, but then a bright light blinded all of them. There was a sound of something heavy falling to the floor and a groan of pain, and then the light was gone.

After their eyes readjusted, they looked towards where the light had come from, on the other side of the gym, there was a man slumped on the floor, he was groaning in pain. Besides him was a black gym bag with the words ' _Bouncing Ball_ ' on it.

Daichi frowned, he has never heard of that company before in his life, but he guesses that what was more important right now, was asking the man where he came from, and if he was okay, but everyone seemed to be in shock.

Daichi didn't blame them, he also didn't know what to say or do.

Was he hallucinating?

Was he dreaming?

Maybe those brats hitted him in the head, that was probably why he was seeing things all of a sudden, yeah that was it.

The man got up from the floor, back turned towards them, he rubbed the mess of orange curls that was his head. Was the man related to Hinata?

He patted his black tracksuit as if looking for something, looking for injuries maybe? The man sighed in relief and looked around the gym.

"Huh? This looks like..." Coach Ukai cleared his throat and the man startled, the poor guy probably thought that he was alone.

The man slowly turned towards them, the first thing Daichi noticed about the man, was that he was really tanned, a kind of tan that Daichi was pretty sure you wouldn't get anywhere in Japan, but he could be wrong, the man looked Japanese after all.

The second thing he noticed was that the man was well built, the man was definitely an athlete or just someone who really loved the gym. 

The third thing he noticed was the man's eyes, they were sharp and too knowing. _Mature_ , Daichi would call them.

But what startled him the most were the color of his eyes. An eye color he had only seen in one person so far.

Hair as orange as a tangerine, eyes the color of honey. Short stature.

 _Wait_.

"Hinata, I didn't know you have an older brother," Coach Ukai said and everyone looked to Hinata whose eyes were wide.

"I don't," Hinata said. "I only have a little sister, her name is Natsu."

"Then who is...?" Coach Ukai pointed to the man, who was looking at all of them in shock, he then started talking in a language that none of them seemed to recognize.

Daichi didn't understand the man, but he was pretty sure he wasn't saying anything _nice,_ and apparently he wasn't the only one who noticed, Tanaka and Nishinoya made _that face._ Suga sighed, Daichi pinched his nose and groaned.

"Oh, here we go," Asahi sweat dropped.

"Oi, oi, oi. Who the hell are you?!" Tanaka and Nishinoya asked at the same time.

The man stopped talking and sighed, he looked at the ceiling as if asking for help or maybe he was just asking the gods for a quick death, but the gods didn't seem to be listening, the man sighed again, he then gave them an intense look, a look that all of them recognized immediately.

"It's Shouyou," the man said. "Hinata Shouyou."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading, hope you enjoyed. Kudos and reviews are well appreciated. Stay safe and healthy and a have a nice day!
> 
> Write to you later, bye! :)


	2. Hinata Meet Hinata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Karasuno Volleyball Team meets Future!Hinata. Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei make a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Thank you for giving this story a chance, I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Kudos and reviews are well appreciated.
> 
> Once again, all mistakes are mine and mine alone, feel free to point them out if you see one, English is not my first language.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

"It's Shouyou," the man said with that intense look on his eyes that Hinata sometimes got. "Hinata Shouyou," the man finished and everyone stared.

Suga was pretty sure that his mouth was on the floor at this point, everyone around him was as still as a statue, if what the man said was true then that means...

Suga jumped about a foot in the air after hearing the intense laughing attack of Noya and Tanaka, looking around him, he probably wasn't the only one who did.

Suga and Daichi shared a look and both sighed in unison. This was going to be a very long day, and it was only midday.

Tanaka and Noya grabbed Hinata, the young one, and started hitting him on the back, the poor guy grimaced with every hit he got.

"Nice one, Hinata! I didn't know you had it in you," Tanaka said while laughing uncontrollably.

"Yeah, bro! Such a good prank, I almost believed it for a second," Noya said, one hand hitting Hinata's back and the other one wiping his tears of laughter away.

"But seriously, Hinata. Why didn't you tell us that you have an older brother, huh? You met my big sis, so what's up with that? I feel betrayed," Tanaka said with a frown.

Suga could tell that Tanaka's and Noya's laughing attack was contagious, because in no time at all, Yamaguchi, Yachi, Asahi, Kinoshita, and Narita, were laughing too.

The ones that were not laughing just stared between the three of them and the Older Hinata. As if some kind of tennis match was going on or something.

"I already told you, I don't have a big brother, I only have Natsu. I'm the big brother!" Hinata said while trying to escape from the arms of his friends.

Older Hinata cleared his throat, the ones that weren't laughing flinched at the sound and the ones who were laughing stopped their antics and listened. _Huh, he can command attention just like that? Weird._

"He's telling the true, you know? I'm not his big brother. I'm him from about ten years in the future, give or take," Older Hinata said and once again, Tanaka and Noya started laughing. Suga noticed how Older Hinata sighed and looked at the ceiling.

Tanaka and Noya stopped laughing once they realized that no one else was laughing, they turned around and noticed that everyone was staring at Older Hinata. "Oh come on, guys. You're not gonna tell me you believe him!" Tanaka said and everyone else just looked away from him. _What if?_ Was the question in everyone's mind.

"What? Seriously? Guys? Coach? Sensei?" Noya asked and Takeda-sensei sighed.

"While it's true that time travel doesn't exist, _probably_. You can't deny the similarities between the two. What year is it, Hinata-san?" Takeda-sensei asked.

"2022," Older Hinata answered without missing a beat. It was clear that there was no lie in there, he really believed that it was the year _2022_. "Why? What year is it _here_?"

"It's December 2012." Older Hinata's eyes widened at that. The man brought a hand to his chest and pinched himself, after a grimace he walked straight towards Young Hinata and flicked him on the forehead.

"Ow, ow, ow. Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Young Hinata asked while rubbing his forehead.

"Proving you're not a hallucination," Older Hinata deadpanned. The ' _Duh_ ' clearly left unsaid but everyone could hear it in his voice.

"You couldn't prove it by asking me a question or something?"

"No."

"You jerk."

"You know, you two might not be brothers, but you sure act like it," Suga said with a chuckle.

Older Hinata pointed at Young Hinata at that and said, "Don't even think about it."

"You don't know what I was thinking!"

" _I'm you_ , I do know. If you start calling me _Nii-chan_ or _Shouyou-nii,_ or something like that, I'm gonna kick your ass." 

"As if you could."

"What was that?"

" _Okay,_ " Coach Ukai said after the little interaction between the two Hinatas. "Older Hinata-san..."

"You can call me Shouyou."

"Okay, _Shouyou-san._ How is it that you got here? Is this like normal where you come from or something?" Coach Ukai asked.

"Not at all. The world hasn't changed much in ten years, if you really think about it. I mean, we do have better technology and I guess, more opportunities? There's also a few _inconveniences_ here and there. But nothing crazy, like time travel or flying cars or anything like that," Older Hinata replied.

"Then how did you get here?"

"Dunno. I was on my way to the gym and then there was this bright light and then I fell here," Older Hinata said and Coach Ukai confirmed that it had been the same for them. Nothing out of the ordinary and then a bright light and the sound of something falling to the floor.

Suga stared at Young Hinata, during that whole conversation, the little guy hadn't taken his eyes away from Older Hinata. Suga gave him a pat of encouragement on the shoulder, Young Hinata nodded and walked closer to Older Hinata.

"So, you really are me? From the future?" Older Hinata chuckled and ruffled Young Hinata's hair. "Of course I am."

"So, does that mean I'll get taller?" Young Hinata asked in excitement with stars in his eyes. Older Hinata rolled his eyes and sighed. "Figures, that'll be the first thing you'll notice."

"What about Volleyball? Do you still play? What team do you play on? Is it a Division 1 team? Is it the National team? Is it..." Older Hinata stopped the little guy's non-stop questions by putting one of his hands over the kid's mouth.

"Hold it right there, short stuff. No spoilers, okay?" Whatever reply Young Hinata had for that, was completely muffled by Older Hinata's hand.

"So, Shouyou-san. How old are you?" Takeda-sensei asked.

"26," Older Hinata replied without missing a beat, everything went quiet for a minute, you could almost hear a pin drop.

"So does that mean that you're our senpai now?" Suga asked and everyone froze at that.

" _Shouyou-senpai_!" Tanaka and Noya shouted at the same time. Older Hinata flinched at the loud shout. "Please, don't call me that, is weird. In my mind, you guys are still my senpai."

"So, I guess, reintroductions are not necessary, huh?" Daichi asked and Older Hinata shook his head. "Not necessary at all, Daichi-san. I remember all of you guys' names and faces," Older Hinata said and smiled at them.

"Well, anyway. Is nice to meet you, you look bigger," Daichi said and Older Hinata frowned.

"You're still taller than me, though." Older Hinata said and Daichi laughed.

"That's not what I meant. Anyway, we have been practicing all morning, let's take a break to eat lunch, we'll continue after we're done," Daichi said and everyone nodded.

Older Hinata picked a Volleyball from the floor and gave it a spin. "Practicing? For what?" He asked.

Everyone stared at him in surprise and Daichi raised an eyebrow at him, but Older Hinata wasn't paying attention to him. The man threw the ball into the air and prepared himself to catch it. "What do you mean? Did you forget? The 2013 Spring Tournament. You know, Nationals."

Older Hinata froze at that, the ball hitted him in the face, he brought his hands to his face and groaned in pain. Suga saw the ball falling to the floor, and he couldn't help the feeling of foreboding that came over him, and Older Hinata's reaction wasn't helping at all.

"Woah, what was that? That was one hell of rollercoaster of emotions and memories, the hell?" Older Hinata asked no one in particular.

He turned to look at their bewildered expressions and grimaced. "Sorry, sorry. It's just, it's been ten years, okay? And it's like those ten years just flashed before my eyes. Anyway, you guys do what you gotta do, I'm gonna go look for a blue telephone booth or something."

"A telephone booth? Why?" Pretty much the whole team asked that. Suga, Yachi-san, Shimizu-san, Tsukishima, and Takeda-sensei were the only ones who didn't ask that.

"I think he meant he's gonna go look for a way to get back home but I'm not sure. I didn't know you knew about Doctor Who, Hinata-kun," Takeda-sensei said.

"Dr. What now?" Young Hinata asked in suprise, "Who's that?"

Takeda-sensei chuckled at that. "Well, it seems that only older you knows about it. Anyway, let's go have lunch."

The team didn't have to be told twice, and in no time, everyone grabbed their bentos and assembled in the stage to have their lunch, everything was normal so far.

Kageyama, Hinata, and Tsukishima, were bickering, with Yachi-san and Yamaguchi playing referees.

The third-years were talking about game tactics with Coach Ukai, Takeda-sensei, and Shimizu-san.

The second-years played amongst themselves until Ennoshita had enough.

But things weren't normal, if you looked closer, past all the routine and familiarity, you could see how tense and awkward things really were, and if you concentrated enough, you could also hear the intense tapping coming from the other side of the room.

Suga sneaked a glance at Older Hinata, he was sitting cross legged on one corner of the room, gym bag by his side and he was tapping furiously on...

Was that a smartphone? Why did it have so many camera lenses? And what's with the cordless headphones? Were they even working?

"Su..."

"...ga."

"Suga." Daichi snapped his fingers in front of his face and Suga scowled.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just, we have been calling you and you didn't answer. Coach Ukai asked you a question," Daichi said in his defense, Suga apologized and looked at Coach Ukai.

"Sorry, what was the question?" Coach Ukai looked at him weirdly. "I asked you to tell me how do you think serves practice is going." Suga nodded and thought about his answer.

"Well, Asahi and Tanaka, they both seem to have mastered jump serves, but we still don't know how the nerves of a real match is going to affect them. The same goes for Yamaguchi and Kinoshita with their jump floaters. The better one at serves is still Kageyama, but something seems to be bothering him, and until he doesn't resolve that, he's gonna keep messing up. There's also Tsukishima and Hinata, their serves are the weakest ones and since they have been away they haven't really started their practice like the rest of us." Coach Ukai nodded at that.

"Yeah, for nerves, there's really nothing I can do about it. Only that person is able to work on that, really work on that. As for Kageyama, I have tried to talk to him, but he doesn't seem to want to talk to me, I hope he opens up to someone soon, or decides to finally talk to me. I'm gonna keep trying anyway. As for Hinata and Tsukishima, they did miss a whole week of practice, I'm gonna talk to them about it and see how they take it, see if they want some extra practice or something," Coach Ukai said and Suga and Daichi nodded.

"There's still so much work we need to do. I didn't wanted to ask this but... are we really ready for Nationals?" Asahi asked and Suga and Daichi gave him a dark look, Asahi sweat dropped. "Scary," Asahi murmured under his breath.

"If you see it that way? Then no. Truth be told no one is really ready for Nationals, but there are some with experience, so they're a little bit more calm than us. Everyone goes to Nationals knowing they're going to lose, be it sooner or later, but everyone also hopes to be that lucky one who gets to win it all, and they fight for it, no matter what it takes," Coach Ukai said. "Don't worry, guys. Even the third-years who have gone to Nationals before are going to be a ball of nerves over there, you're not going to be the only ones. You just gotta remember that you're going against human, against kids you're age or younger. Don't let your nerves get the better of you."

"Right. So, what you're saying is that, unless you're a professional Volleyball player, you're gonna be nervous at Nationals, it's High School after all. Thanks for that, Coach," Asahi said with a sigh of relief.

Shimizu-san, - who has been taking notes of everything they were saying, - suddenly looked at them in suprise. "What about him?" She asked and nodded towards Older Hinata who was still furiously tapping away on his device.

"What about him?" Asahi asked in confusion. "You really think that _we_ can help him find a way home?"

"No, I mean. He's an athlete, I can tell. What if he plays professional Volleyball now? What if he can help us get better?" Shimizu-san asked.

Suga, Daichi and Asahi looked at her in surprise. Coach Ukai's eyes widened and he grabbed Takeda-sensei and told him they needed to talk, ASAP.

Suga and Daichi shared a look and nodded. They finished their lunch and walked towards Older Hinata. The closer they got, the more clear the frustration on his face became.

"Everything alright, Shouyou-san?" Suga asked and Older Hinata sighed. "Not really, my phone doesn't seem to be working here, it doesn't have any signal, and I forgot the school's wifi password." 

"It's Crows2012," Daichi said and Older Hinata smiled at him. "Thank you so much, Daichi-san."

"Who are you trying to contact, anyway?" Daichi asked and Older Hinata sighed again. "Dunno. My Coach, my manager, my sponsor, one of my friends, my mom? It doesn't matter really, I just need someone to know where I am, see if they can do something about this."

_Coach?_

_Manager?_

_Sponsor?_

Daichi and Suga shared a look. So he really was a professional athlete. The question here was. Is he a professional Volleyball player?

Hinata seems like the kind of guy who would be good at any sport you throw him at, he just needs time to get the hang of it. Older Hinata groaned. "This isn't working," he said and sighed in annoyance, he threw his devices into his gym bag and pouted, actually pouted.

Suga suppressed a chuckle, it seems that some things would never change. No matter how many years pass by.

Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei chose that moment to come back. "Gather around guys," Coach Ukai said and everyone assembled around him. "Well, did everyone finished eating?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay, we're gonna have two more practice matches, just two sets okay? The rest of the day is going to be all about practicing your serves and receives, got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright then, boys do your stretches, and girls, can you two clean the court for us?"

"Yes, sir." Everyone nodded and started to do what they were told.

Takeda-sensei started to write some things on the board and Coach Ukai was helping the girls with the cleaning.

In no time, everyone was ready to start the game. Suga and Daichi shook hands while Coach Ukai flipped a coin in the air. It was time for Daichi's team to serve, Suga prepared his team to receive one of Kageyama's serves, but their efforts were in vain, Kageyama hitted the ball too hard and it ended up being an out.

Suga looked at Older Hinata, he was still sitting in his corner, Coach Ukai had offered him a place on the bench but he refused.

Older Hinata looked surprised at Kageyama's serves, he was frowning, probably trying to remember this moment from before, trying to look for a day where Kageyama had been so mad that he had missed his serves. Suga looked at Coach Ukai and noticed the look he and Takeda-sensei shared.

_So, this was their plan, huh?_

Show Older Hinata how bad they were right now and then convinced him to help them?

_Not bad._

Suga only hopes that it works, his teammates need all the help they can get.

Suga watched Yamaguchi serve, Noya was barely able to receive it. Kageyama set the ball for Hinata, but Tsukishima was the one to spiked it, earning a glare from Kageyama. Narita was able to block Tsukishima, but Hinata saved the ball. Kageyama set it for Asahi, Suga was able to receive it, but now he couldn't set the ball. Ennoshita set the ball for Yamaguchi, but Tsukishima was able to block him, earning a point for Daichi's team.

And so it continue like that, with Daichi and Noya trying to save as many balls as they could, Hinata tried to help them, but most of the time, he just ended up hurting himself.

Tanaka and Asahi were spiking more balls than before, but Tsukishima was failing more at it because Kageyama set them too high. Suga glanced at Older Hinata again, he wasn't sitting anymore, now he was standing and the expression on his face clearly said that he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

They were at 15 - 21 now, Suga's team was winning and he could tell that the other team was getting a little desperate.

Suga tossed for Ennoshita, but Daichi was able to save it, unfortunately, it had been long. Kageyama set for Hinata, but Hinata didn't spike, Asahi did instead, but he did it too hard, Suga knew that the ball was coming in a little too hard and too fast to do a proper receive, but that didn't stop Yamaguchi from trying, which only managed to change the way the ball was going.

What was going to be a killer spike from Karasuno's ace, was now heading straight at Yachi-san.

Coach Ukai was playing referee and Takeda-sensei was taking notes so they weren't fast enough to react, neither was Shimizu-san, who was managing the scores.

Daichi, Suga and Hinata ran forward, but the three of them knew that they wouldn't be able to stop the ball in time. Yachi-san's eyes widened as soon as she saw the ball coming her way, she closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact.

An impact that never came.

Suga, Daichi, and Hinata, along with everyone else, looked shocked at what they were seeing.

Yachi-san opened her eyes and saw that a tanned hand was in front of her face and the ball that was just a few seconds ago coming straight at her was now spinning in the man's hand.

"Oi!" Older Hinata said with a dark look on his eyes.

"Be more careful, there are ladies here," he finished saying just as the same time that the ball finished spinning in his hand, he grabbed the ball and gave it to Yachi-san.

"Are you okay?" He asked the scared girl and she nodded vigorously and brought the ball to her chest. "Th... tha... thank you," Yachi-san stammered. She seemed ready to cry her eyes out.

"Don't worry about it." Older Hinata said and smiled reassuringly at her. Shimizu-san finally made it to them, she thanked the man for saving her friend and hugged Yachi-san while offering her some water.

Everyone else was still in shock. They still couldn't figure it out. How exactly did a man who was in the farthest corner of the room, could've reached the court so fast, and how he was able to react fast enough to stop a ball with so much speed and force, and to do it one-handed no less. Just how?

Not even Suga, - who would have been the closest one to Yachi-san at the time, - managed to get there fast enough.

Unsurprisingly it was Noya the one who recovered first. "Woah, Shouyou-senpai! That was so freaking _cool_! How did you get there so fast?! You were like a Ninja," Noya said while jumping up and down and doing some Ninja poses. "That was amazing, teach me how to do that, I wanna be a Ninja too."

Older Hinata's eyes widened in surprise and then he started laughing, everyone looked at him weirdly. "Oi, what's so funny? I wanna be a Ninja too," Noya said with a pout.

"It's just, you called me a Ninja," Older Hinata said, still laughing.

"I did but what's so funny about that?" Noya asked in confusion.

"Nothing, you'll get it in a few years," Older Hinata said dismissively.

"Huh?"

Older Hinata cleared his throat. "Anyway, don't you guys have a game to finish?"

"Actually, Shouyou-san. We wanted to talk to you. I was planning on waiting until the match was over but I think there's no better time than now," Coach Ukai said and Suga, Daichi, Asahi, and Shimizu-san stiffened, everyone else just looked confused.

"Talk to me? About what?"

"The team," Takeda-sensei said. "I don't know if you noticed but we're having a few problems."

"I did noticed and they aren't _a few_." The team flinched at that. _Yeah, we know._ "But what does that have to to with me?"

"Well, is clear that you're an athlete, you're a professional Volleyball player, aren't you?" Coach Ukai asked.

Older Hinata sighed. "I am."

Young Hinata gasped in surprise, Suga and Daichi gave him a look, silently telling him to calm down and ask questions later. This was important.

"There are many teams out there who have two coaches, so we wanted to offer you a place in the team as a coach, alongside Coach Ukai and myself. Please, please teach our kids how to play Volleyball, please take them to Nationals," Takeda-sensei said with a bow, Coach Ukai was bowing too.

Daichi, Suga, and Shimizu-san bowed next, the rest of the team, - with the exception of Tsukishima and Kageyama, - bowed after them. "Please teach us, Shouyou-san!"

Suga noticed that everything was very quiet, slowly, he and everyone else raised their heads and looked at the Older Hinata. The man looked at all of them with a sad look on his face and eyes.

"No," was Older Hinata's response.

"What!? Why!?" Everyone asked in surprise.

Tsukishima, - who along with Kageyama hadn't said anything before, - sighed in annoyance and said, "Do you really have to ask that? Really? How illogical can you guys get?"

"Huh?"

"Senku over there is right. I'm sorry everyone but I can't teach you," said Older Hinata.

_Senku? What?_

"It's Tsukishima Kei! And who the hell is Senku?" Tsukishima asked, but he didn't get an answer.

Older Hinata nodded at them and started walking towards his gym bag. "Besides, the sooner I get home, the better it'll be for all of us, trust me."

Suga and Daichi shared a look at that, Older Hinata made them feel as if they had done something very wrong, but Suga couldn't understand what it was yet, and looking at Daichi right now, it was clear that he also didn't get it.

Suga noticed Young Hinata running towards Older Hinata, Suga and Daichi sweat dropped and said, "Oh, there he goes."

Young Hinata stopped in front of Older Hinata, the little crow was angry, and he was ready to show his claws. Older Hinata stopped in his tracks and sighed, he said something Suga couldn't understand and looked at the ceiling then at his younger self. "What is it, Chibi-chan?"

"Don't call me that! You're short, too."

"Whatever you say, short stuff."

"You jerk! Why don't you want to help us? Why don't you want to coach us?" Young Hinata asked angrily, Older Hinata just sighed. "You'll get it when you're older," Older Hinata said and then laughed quietly to himself. "Now, there's something I'll never thought I'll say to myself."

"Don't give me that! Tell me why."

"Shouyou," Older Hinata said gently, _too_ _gently_ , this wasn't the Hinata all of them knew, this was the mature and experienced young man, the older brother. "Do you realize what you're asking me to do?"

"Yeah, I do. We're asking you to teach us how to play Volleyball and get better, since you're a pro you have way more experienced than any of us." Older Hinata shook his head and kneeled in front of his younger self, he took the kid's hands in his and said, "No, you're asking me to give up my whole life."

"Huh? You're not gonna die just because you coached us. We promise not to hit your head."

"That's not what I mean," Older Hinata said with a small smile. "Do you remember all the time travel movies and stories you have watched or read?" Young Hinata nodded.

"Well, you know that there are some really good ones, and there are some really bad ones, but there is something that all of them have in common. _If you mess with time, time messes back_. Shouyou, I want you to think about the year that is about to start, about going to Nationals, about all the people that you're going to meet there, about all the friends you're going to make. About all the experiences that you're going to have. All the loses, all the victories, all the mistakes, and all the things you're going to learn. Now think about your second year of High School and your third, about graduation and whatever you think comes after that. Think about all the people you're going to meet, all the things you're going to experience. All of those things you're imagining right now, are things that I already have in my life, and I fought so hard to get them. Maybe my life isn't perfect, but it's mine and I love it, and I'm happy with it, I truly am. Are there things that I would like to change? Of course there are, but I'm afraid to change them because all of those things good or bad made me who I am today, and I like who I am. I know this might sound selfish to you, but I'm not just thinking about myself here. I could change everyones' lives by saying yes. My friends and family looked very happy with their lives the last time I saw them, and I don't want to change that, I don't need that on my conscience. I don't want to find a way to go back home, only to find out that, it's not home anymore. Do you get it now?" Older Hinata asked and Young Hinata nodded.

"Yeah, I get it, it's just..."

"Are you crying?"

"What? No!" Young Hinata said while wiping some tears away.

Older Hinata smiled at him and hugged him. "Yeah, I know how you feel, don't cry," Older Hinata said and rubbed the kid's back. Suga wiped some tears away, and he noticed that some of the others did the same.

_You have grown, Hinata. I'm so proud._

"Well, looks like age made him a little smart, at least," Tsukishima said while rolling his eyes.

"Tsukishima," Daichi warned.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, sorry," Tsukishima apologized with a sour look on his face.

"We're sorry, Shouyou-san. We didn't think about it that way," Takeda-sensei apologized with a bow.

"It's okay," Older Hinata said, he was still hugging Young Hinata.

_He's good with kids. Could it be? No, Suga don't think about that._

"This is weird for everybody, I don't blame you for not thinking about it like that, time travel is not exactly an everyday thing. Don't get me wrong, I don't know what the hell is going on either, but I do want to go home, you know?"

"Yeah, we get it now. Sorry for everything," Coach Ukai said while bowing too.

"Like I said, it's alright. Come on, kiddo. Don't you have a game to finish?" Young Hinata wiped his tears away and looked determined. "Right, watch me win."

"Alright, you'll buy me a meat bun if you lose," Older Hinata said.

"And what do I get if I win?"

"What about a meat bun?"

"Deal! Come on guys, we have to win." Older Hinata laughed at his younger self's antics. Suga laughed too. "Did you forget that we're the ones winning? Maybe I'll be the one getting a meat bun later today." 

"I'll win, you'll see," Young Hinata said and started dragging his teammates to the court.

Suga noticed that Kageyama was the only one not moving, he was looking at Older Hinata. Suga couldn't tell what was going on with Kageyama right now, ever since Older Hinata showed up here, Kageyama had looked at him with an intense look on his eyes but there's never an expression on his face. It was always hard to tell with him, Suga could tell that Older Hinata noticed the staring but the man didn't seem to mind, so it didn't seem to be anything problematic at least.

"Oi! Kageyama, Sugawara-san, let's play."

"Right."

If Suga thought that having that talk with Older Hinata was going to help their team dynamics, boy was he mistaken.

Hinata seemed to be trying to spike more, keyword being _trying_. Not even the others were spiking now. Kageyama was doing some reckless tosses, telling everyone to go faster, to jump higher. Why didn't you hit that if it was perfect?

 _The King of the Court_ , Suga thought with a heavy heart, _The King is back, this time for real._

"Oi, Kageyama. What's wrong with you?" Young Hinata asked.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? First, you don't want to spike my tosses, but now you want me to send all of them to you? What do you think I am? Your servant or something? You have been acting weird all day."

"I have been acting weird? You're the one acting weird. What's with those reckless tosses. No one can hit that, not even me, and that's saying something."

"Well, I'm not your personal setter. Didn't you said that you wanted to work more on your crappy receives? What are you doing spiking the ball now?"

"I want to win this match."

"So now you want to win? What are you trying to prove now? If you want to win so badly then go to Sugawara-san's team, they're the ones winning. Oh that's right, I _forgot_! You _can't_ hit Sugawara-san's tosses. You can only hit mine, so stop being useless and listen to me, dammit."

"Kageyama!" Suga and Daichi shouted at the same time.

"Guys, come on. Calm down and let's continue the game," Daichi said in that commanding voice that he sometimes uses, a voice that reminds you that he's the _Captain_.

And so they continued the game but it was clear that Kageyama was still pissed as hell. He continued doing those reckless tosses. Suga saw how Kageyama set a ball for Hinata but Hinata missed, Noya managed to save the ball and he send it to Suga's side of the court. Suga's team took advantage of the chance ball and once it was back in Daichi's side of the court, Kageyama grimaced and prepared himself to set the ball again, but two tanned hands snatched it from the air before Kageyama could touch the ball.

Suga and everyone else stared, crouched down on the floor besides Kageyama was Older Hinata, ball in his hands and bangs covering his eyes. "You guys just came back from your training camps, didn't you? The All-Japan one and the one at Shiratorizawa, right?" He asked.

Tsukishima, - who was the one who looked the less shocked out of all of them, - answered him, "That's right. Took you long enough."

"I see," he said while getting up from the floor, he gave the ball a spin and looked at his younger self. "Shouyou? Trust me," he said with that intense look on his eyes that Hinata sometimes got, except _his_ look was more intimidating for some reason. He threw the ball at Coach Ukai who caught it without missing a beat.

"Throw that to me, would you?" Older Hinata asked and Coach Ukai nodded and threw him the ball.

" _Fly, Shouyou-kun,"_ Older Hinata said, _no_ he _commanded_ and _he set the ball for Hinata_.

Suga noticed how Young Hinata jumped with his eyes close and hit the ball that his older self just _tossed_ for him, Suga knew what was coming, but at the same time he couldn't believe it.

Suga heard the ball passing right beside him like a bullet, he turned around and saw the ball hitting the floor on his side of the court, earning Daichi's team a point.

_What was that?_

Everyone was speechless at what they just witnessed, Young Hinata looked at his red hand in wonder and then at Older Hinata.

_Did they just did a quick?_

_Kageyama and Hinata's freak quick?_

_Are you for real?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, time to answer a few questions you guys are probably going to have.
> 
> 1 - The Crows2012 wifi password is inspired by my High School's wifi password. It was always the name of our mascot and the year, even today is still the same, mascot + year. I know because my nieces go there now.
> 
> 2 - If you're wondering what Yachi-san was doing, she was playing "ball girl" that's why she was so close to the court.
> 
> 3 - No, I do not have anything against Kageyama, I just really liked the character development he had during this arc and how Hinata crowned him as the "New King of the Court" we're getting there, bear with me. They have the gym all to themselves for the whole day because it's a Saturday.
> 
> 4 - Older Hinata asked to be called Shouyou instead of Hinata because since he has spent so much time in Brazil and with ASAS he got used to people calling him by his first name instead of his last name. The "inconveniences" that he mentions are of course a reference to the pandemic and all that but of course he's not going to tell them that. He doesn't want to scare his friends. Yes, Kenma is the sponsor he mentions. All his geeky references are thanks to Pedro, that's why Young Hinata doesn't know about Doctor Who but Older Hinata knows. Also, he comes from the year 2022 because that's the year the story ends. (SPOILERS In 2022, Hinata plays for Brazil and Kageyama plays for Italy.)
> 
> 5 - FOR ANIME ONLY FANS SPOILERS AHEAD, Hinata is actually a pretty decent setter post-timeskip. If you're wondering how is it that he knows how to do "the freak quick" is because Miya Atsumu taught him how to do it (no that's not in the manga, is just my headcanon) I just figured that Atsumu would like to teach him how to do the quick so they could pull the reverse quick just like he and Osamu used to do. Btw, the Fly, Shouyou-kun is also a reference to Atsumu.
> 
> *I think that's it, if you have any more questions feel free to ask me in the comments*
> 
> Thanks for reading, have a nice day. Write to you later, bye :)


	3. Ninja Shouyou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ninja Shouyou makes an appearance. The sparks of rivalry fly high in Karasuno High's second gym.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone. Welcome back!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has supported this story so far, I really appreciate you. I hope you continue to enjoy this story.
> 
> Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language and I also don't have a beta so all mistakes are mine and mine alone, feel free to point them out, I won't get mad.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

Coach Ukai couldn't believe what he just saw, he had participated on it, and he still couldn't believe what he just saw.

_Shouyou-san set a ball for Hinata._

_Older Hinata just set a ball for Younger Hinata._

But it hadn't been just any ball.

Oh no, no, no.

It was the _freak quick_.

The quick that had made their two rookies and their whole team famous and hated at the same time.

But _how_?

Hinata was no setter, or was he?

Even if he was, Keishin was pretty sure that not just any setter could pull a move like that. But the guy's form had been perfect, as perfect as Kageyama's.

 _No_ , it was probably better than Kageyama's, the guy was a pro after all.

Keishin looked at Young Hinata, he was looking at his red hand in wonder. His eyes were shining, his mouth was open in an 'O' shape, and his cheeks were tinted pink. Young Hinata clenched his hand and brought it to his chest, he then looked at Older Hinata in admiration and amazement.

Older Hinata looked as cool as a cucumber, as if he hadn't just shifted everyones' world upside down. Older Hinata gave an intense look to his younger self and said, "Kageyama Tobio is not the only setter that can set to you, you'll find that out soon enough."

Keishin looked at Kageyama at that, the guy didn't look shocked anymore, now he just looked pissed as hell. "So the other option is _you_?" Kageyama asked through gritted teeth.

Older Hinata looked at Kageyama at that. "Wow, you really look like you wanna punch me right now," Older Hinata said with a chuckle.

"But I wasn't talking about myself," Older Hinata said, he then he turned to look at his younger self. "You'll meet him soon," he said cryptically and started walking towards his gym bag.

"Wait, where are you going?" Keishin asked the man and he stopped and turned to look at him in confusion.

"I told you I wasn't going to step in and I won't, I just figured that telling him and showing him something he's going to find out soon anyway, won't be hurting the timeline that much. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my corner. No, I am not depressed, I just want to go home."

"Wait, who taught you how to do that?"

"A friend," Older Hinata replied and the whole team turned to look at Kageyama. "Oh, no. Not him, definitely not him. He sucks at teaching, trust me, I know." Kageyama's left eye twitched at that.

"Wait, Older Me!" Young Hinata shouted as he ran towards his older self in excitement.

"Call me Shouyou."

"Right, Shouyou-san. That was amazing! You were so cool and serious and then you went all _w_ _hoosh,_ and I went like _b_ _am,_ and then the ball went all _b_ _oom_ on the other side like a bullet, and it was amazing! My hand hurts a little, but hitting the ball felt so good, you truly are amazing, teach me how to do that!" Young Hinata said in excitement, he was jumping up and down and his eyes were wide and full of stars. He would've probably said even more if Older Hinata hadn't put his hand on his face to stop his enthusiasm.

"Woah, what was that?" Older Hinata asked no one in particular, he looked to the side and brought a hand to his chest. "It's like feeling the warm of the sun after a harsh winter, the hell?" He whispered under his breath but with how quiet the gym was, all of them heard him.

"Never been on the receiving end of one of those, huh?" Sugawara asked Older Hinata, the man shook his head. The third-years and the second-years started chuckling at his reaction.

Young Hinata finally managed to get himself free from the hand of his older self. "Shouyou-san, would you...?"

Whatever Young Hinata was about to ask his older self was cut off by Kageyama grabbing a hold of his shirt and throwing him away. 

"Kageyama, you jerk!" Young Hinata shouted after he was thrown, Older Hinata's eyes widened at the scene.

"Woah, calm down. You're gonna hurt him before Nationals," Older Hinata said in a panicked voice, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed that Young Hinata managed a perfect landing, Kageyama's left eye twitched at the scene.

" _You_ ," Kageyama said and he pointed a finger at Older Hinata.

The older man frowned and said, "Yes?"

"I challenge you."

"What?!" Some team members asked while Daichi, Sugawara and Tanaka just sighed. "Deja vu," the three said in unison.

"You...?" Older Hinata asked in utter confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"I challenge you to play a game against me," Kageyama said with determination shining in his eyes, it was clear that the guy wasn't going to take a no for an answer.

"Oi, Kageyama," Daichi and Sugawara said at the same time but were ignored by the young setter.

Kageyama pointed to his teammates and said, "Pick a team, I'll do the same."

"Woah, what?" The team asked in unison. Tsukishima scoffed.

"Pick a team? What is this? Junior High's Gym Class or something?" Older Hinata asked and surprisingly Tsukishima nodded in agreement.

"Listen, Kageyama-kun..."

"Don't _Kageyama-kun_ me, pick a team and play against me, dammit!" Kageyama shouted in an angry voice.

"But..."

"I'll play on your team, Shouyou-san!" Young Hinata, Nishinoya, and Tanaka shouted at the same time.

"What?!"

"Um..." Older Hinata said dumbfounded, then he seemed to recover his composure and said, "Listen, guys. That's not _your_ decision. If your _c_ _oaches_ and your _c_ _aptains_ agree to it, then I'll do it, but if not, then I'm sorry but the answer is no. Remember that your practice comes first."

Everyone looked stupefied at that response, but Keishin could see a little bit of pride shining in some eyes. He smiled, glad that the situation had come to this. He regretted that thought as soon as everyone in the room turned to look directly at him. Keishin gulped.

"Right, Coach. That's _me,_ " Keishin muttered under his breath and then he cleared his throat. "Sensei, Daichi and Sugawara. Can you guys come with me?" The three nodded at him and together the four of them walked out of the gym.

"Well, that was unexpected," Sensei said and Keishin nodded in agreement.

"Not really, this is what happened the first time those two met in this gym, so it doesn't really surprise us that much. So what are we going to do?" Sugawara asked.

"Well, for one. It's a good idea but..." Daichi started to say.

"It was Kageyama's idea, and it might've not been born with good intentions in mind." Sugawara finished.

"Exactly," Daichi said.

"Then what do we do?" Sensei asked. The three of them turned to look at him in unison. Keishin knew that he had been quiet for a while now, but he was thinking, he had a plan.

"Let's do it," Keishin said with determination shining in his eyes. It was clear that this was his final say in the matter, he wasn't going to accept any arguments.

"What?!"

"Just trust me, I have an idea."

"So..." Sensei started to say.

"We're doing it?" Daichi and Sugawara finished.

"Yeah, let's do it. It might be good for the team, just trust me, okay?" Keishin pleaded.

"Well, if you think it might help us then it's fine, I guess," Daichi said.

"Yeah, just keep an eye on Kageyama, just in case things get a little out of control, and make sure you watch closely how Hinata-san plays, this might be the only chance we get to see it," Keishin said and his two students nodded.

"No need to tell us, we will," Daichi and Sugawara said in unison and smiled darkly, Keishin suppressed a shudder. His students were way too intense sometimes.

"Now, this is what we're going to do, listen carefully," Keishin said and started to explain to the others his plans.

By the time that they got back inside, the guys were taking a break, some were drinking water and others were just slumped on the floor, resting their sore muscles. Keishin looked for Older Hinata and noticed that the guy went back to his corner, he was sitting cross-legged on the floor and he was tapping away on...

Was that a smartphone? What's up with the cameras?

Keishin cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Okay, guys. We're doing it."

Kageyama, Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Young Hinata celebrated. Others choked on their water, while the rest just looked at the four of them like they were crazy. Keishin didn't blame them.

Keishin heard Older Hinata sigh in resignation, he was the only one that didn't look surprised at the news.

"Guess, I need to change, huh?" He asked and Daichi smiled at him and nodded, Daichi threw him the keys of the clubroom and the man caught them with one hand.

"That's the key for the clubroom, you can change there." The man nodded and took off, gym bag in hand.

"Alright, the rest of you, prepare yourselves," Keishin said and the guys nodded and started to do their stretches. Keishin helped the girls with the cleaning, and Sensei took care of everything else.

In no time they were done cleaning the court, they finished just as the same time that Keishin heard the gym doors opening. "Woah!" Keishin heard Yachi-san said and some other gasps of surprise, Keishin looked at the entrance and saw that Older Hinata had come back.

Older Hinata was now wearing black shorts and a black T-shirt, he kept the track jacket on. His kneepads and Volleyball shoes were also black, with his shoes having some gold accents on them. Hinata seems to wear a lot of black now, even his water bottle was black.

Keishin looked at the reaction of the team and sighed, back when he was just wearing the tracksuit they could tell that Older Hinata had the body of an athlete, but now that he was wearing his Volleyball gear, they could see that more clearly. It was clear that Hinata put himself through some crazy training. Professional athletes are scary.

Older Hinata barely spared a glance at them and went to do his stretches. Keishin cleared his throat to get his students attention and began helping them with their warm ups, he somehow felt like his students were finally taking things seriously today.

"Damn, is he stretching or doing Yoga?" Keishin heard Nishinoya ask.

"Both maybe," Tanaka replied.

Keishin turned to look at Older Hinata and couldn't help the little sparks of jealousy that he felt at the sight of the redhead. Was this guy really the same age as him? Keishin was pretty sure that if he moved like that, something would pop and it wasn't going to be pretty.

Seriously, what kind of training did this guy go through?

"Spiking practice, everyone," Keishin announced and his students formed a line, starting with Daichi and ending with Yamaguchi. Keishin nodded towards Yachi-san and prepared himself to set the ball.

"Looking sharp, everyone," Keishin said as Yamaguchi's spike landed perfectly on the other side of the court.

"Kageyama, is your turn to set." Kageyama nodded at him as the team formed a line again. Then it was Sugawara's turn to set, everything was looking good so far.

"One more with me, come on," Keishin said, but halfway through it, he had made a mistake, he sent the ball a little too high, there was no way that Narita could get that. Heck, probably not even Hinata could get that.

Keishin turned to look at the guys, apology at the ready, but then he noticed a black blur running towards him.

 _No_ , not to him, _to the_ _ball_.

There was a loud ' _boom'_ sound accompany by a gentle breeze, and then Keishin heard the ball land on the other side of the court with a loud ' _bang'_.

Older Hinata landed perfectly on his feet in front of Narita. "Holy..." Keishin heard someone said, it was probably him to be honest.

"Sorry for interrupting," Older Hinata said and smiled at their shocked faces. Keishin gulped.

"Right, it's okay. Narita, Yachi-san, one more try." The both of them swallowed their shock and got in position again. The rest of the spiking practice went smoothly, Kageyama spiked harder than necessary but, _whatever_.

"Right, receives." Everyone got into position and started practicing. "One more time guys and next serves." The team nodded at him.

"Oi. What about him?" Kageyama asked and nodded towards Older Hinata, who had been practicing with a ball by himself in a corner of the room after his little display.

Keishin looked between the two of them and nodded. "Shouyou-san, wanna practice receives with us?"

 _Shouyou-san_ clearly heard Kageyama, but he nodded nonetheless. If Kageyama thought that he won with whatever that was, he was clearly mistaken, because it didn't matter what kind of receive it was, Older Hinata nailed all of them.

Nishinoya was in tears, Kageyama's eye was twitching again. Then it was serves practice, after Yamaguchi's turn it would be Older Hinata's turn.

Yamaguchi prepared himself and landed a perfect jump floater, his teammates cheered for him. Then it was Older Hinata's turn to serve and the guys quieted down immediately and observed.

Keishin saw Yachi-san giving a ball to Older Hinata, and the man thanked her with a smile. Keishin also saw how Kageyama was smirking, Keishin repressed the urge to sigh.

Older Hinata prepared himself, he took a deep breath and got this intense look on his face and eyes. He threw the ball into the air and jumped, - to the surprise of many, - and then landed a very powerful and perfect spike serve in a very ugly spot.

The gym got very quiet all of a sudden, Keishin could swear he heard grasshoppers chirping in the distance.

"The whistle blows and next thing you know, the other team just scored a service ace. That's Nationals." Keishin's words resonated throughout the gym like some kind of curse.

Keishin took one look at the spooked faces of his students and sighed. "Are you guys sure you want to do this? You're going against a pro here. Practice match or not."

At Keishin's words the spooked faces dissapeared, only to be replaced by looks of determination and hunger.

 _Seriously_ , his students were _way too intense_ sometimes. Older Hinata smiled at them, Keishin swallowed hard, for some reason he didn't like that smile at all. "Alright, guys. Is everyone ready?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Alright, this is what we're going to do. Karasuno has twelve members in total. Seven of you are regulars, so can the seven of you step forward." Daichi, Asahi, Nishinoya, Tanaka, Kageyama, Young Hinata, and Tsukishima stepped forward.

"Because you guys are starters, I want the seven of you to play this match, and since Shouyou-san is also playing, that makes eight of you, which means." Keishin turned to look at Sugawara, Yamaguchi, Ennoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita.

"One of you has to stay out of this match and take notes, as Volleyball players, your notes are going to be more detailed than those of Shimizu-san or Takeda-sensei. So have a talk amongst yourselves, and then tell me what you decided."

The five of them stepped to the side and started to talk. After a while, it was decided that Narita would stay out of the match and would be the one taking notes, Takeda-sensei motioned to him and the both of them went to sit at the bench, notebooks and pencils at the ready.

"Okay, next. Shouyou-san would be playing captain for his team no matter what position he chooses to play, but since this was Kageyama's idea and we don't know how the teams are going to end up like, then Daichi has decided to step down as captain for this match. Which means, Kageyama is going to be the captain of his team," Keishin said and the team, - with the exception of Daichi and Sugawara who already knew of the decision and Older Hinata who was probably expecting something like that, - looked utterly shocked.

"What?!" The team shouted in unison while Tsukishima groaned in annoyance.

"Settle down, guys. Is just for this match, and it was mine and Coach Ukai's decision, so please, respect it," Daichi said and slowly the team started to nod.

"Okay, then. Captains, please step forward." The both of them did. "Okay, here are the rules, each of you gets to choose five players. It's going to be one setter, one libero, one middle blocker, one opposite hitter, and two outside hitters, got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, I'm going to mention a position and you're either going to name yourself, or the name of the person that you want on your team, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

Keishin nodded and asked both captains what they preferred and after getting their answers, Keishin flipped a coin in the air.

"Okay, seems like Shouyou-san gets to pick first, and then Kageyama. Remember, I mention the position, Shouyou-san picks one and then Kageyama picks one, got it?" Everyone nodded.

"Okay, we're going to start with the most tricky one right now, the libero. Since we only have one libero, then keep in mind that if you don't choose Nishinoya, then whoever you choose as your libero won't be able to score points during the match. Defense only, got it?" After getting some nods, Keishin turned to Shouyou-san.

"Libero."

"Nishinoya-san," Older Hinata said and Nishinoya celebrated and stepped to the right. Keishin turned to look at Kageyama.

"Libero." Kageyama hesitated for a moment, eyes scanning his teammates a few times until his eyes finally landed on Daichi.

"Sawamura-san," Kageyama said, Daichi nodded and stepped to the left. Keishin turned to look at Shouyou-san next.

"Setter."

"Sugawara-san," Older Hinata said and Sugawara looked surprised for a second, then he nodded in understanding and went to step besides Nishinoya.

Did Sugawara thought that Older Hinata was going to choose himself for the position?

Keishin turned to look at Kageyama, the raven-haired teen pointed to himself and Keishin nodded, now that one was a 100% obvious. Keishin turned to Shouyou-san again.

"Middle Blocker."

"Shouyou-kun," Older Hinata said, much to the delight of Young Hinata, who immediately went to celebrate with Nishinoya.

Keishin turned to Kageyama, the young setter had a sour look on his face, the guy looked as if he just swallowed some lemon juice or something.

This was probably a hard decision for him, the guy was used to playing alongside Hinata, and he doesn't get along with Tsukishima. While he knew he could pick other middle blockers, like Yamaguchi for example, he wasn't used to playing with them, so he was left with no other choice.

"Tsukishima," Kageyama said through gritted teeth after a while. Keishin turned to look at Tsukishima who also looked like he was swallowing some lemon juice, but he went to stand besides Daichi nonetheless. Keishin turned to look at Shouyou-san again.

"First Outside Hitter."

"Tanaka-san," Older Hinata said, Tanaka celebrated and went to high five his new teammates. Keishin turned to look at Kageyama next.

"First Outside Hitter."

"Azumane-san," Kageyama said quickly and without hesitation, Asahi nodded and went to step besides Daichi and Tsukishima.

Keishin nodded and then looked at the team. All the main players were out of the picture now, which was going to complicate things for Kageyama, since he was so used to playing with them. Keishin doesn't really consider this a problem for Older Hinata, since he has more experienced with the team than Kageyama. Keishin saw how his students were fidgeting and turned towards Shouyou-san again.

"Second Outside Hitter."

"Ennoshita-san." Keishin and many others looked surprised at this. Keishin was sure Older Hinata was going to pick himself for the position but no, he chose Ennoshita instead. Ennoshita nodded and went to step with his new teammates. Keishin turned to look at Kageyama next.

"Second Outside Hitter," Keishin said. Kageyama hesitated, he was looking between Yamaguchi and Kinoshita. Kageyama knew that both of them would end up in his team, it was obvious that Older Hinata was going to pick himself for the next position, what Kageyama needed to figure out now, is in what position to put them.

Kageyama thought about it for a little while but finally said, "Kinoshita-san." Kinoshita nodded and went to step with his new teammates.

"Okay, then. I guess that means that Shouyou-san is going to be playing opposite hitter for his team, and Yamaguchi for Kageyama's, right?" They nodded.

Keishin flipped a coin again. "Seems like Kageyama's team would be serving first. You guys have five minutes to come up with a strategy, good luck."

Both captains nodded and went to make plans with their teams. Keishin looked between both teams and couldn't help the feeling that he had just been tricked. Something in the back of Keishin head's was bothering him but he couldn't figure it out yet.

_What is it?_

_Come on, Keishin._

_Think, think, think._

Keishin sighed and waited for the five minutes to be up. Shimizu-san erased Sugawara's and Daichi's names from the board, and she wrote Kageyama's and Hinata's instead. Yachi-san presented the team with new training vests. Kageyama chose blue, Older Hinata chose red. Keishin noticed that both Daichi and Sugawara were named Vice-Captains, Keishin sighed and looked at the clock.

Three more minutes.

Keishin blew his whistle and both teams lined up on their respective sides of the court. "You guys know the rules, play a fair game. Remember this is a practice match, learn from it as much as you can. Relax and communicate with your teammates, best of luck to both teams."

The teams bowed to each other and got in position. Keishin looked at them and once again couldn't help the feeling that he was tricked. He sighed and blew the whistle.

It was time to begin.

Kageyama served, he hit the ball with great precision and force, unfortunately for him, Older Hinata read him like a book, and he received his serve perfectly, much to the shock of the raven-haired teen.

Shouyou-san made a perfect pass to Sugawara, the setter tossed to Tanaka, and the wing spiker landed a perfect spike, earning Shouyou-san's team their first point.

Keishin sighed and prepared himself for a long match.

Older Hinata was a beast on the court.

Every receive, every pass, every dig, every emergency set, every jump, every block, and every spike was perfection. The man moved around the court as if it was his own bedroom or something.

And that wasn't all, he was reading his opponents movements like a book. Especially Kageyama's.

If Keishin had to describe Kageyama's team as books on Older Hinata's bookshelf, then he'll describe Kageyama as Hinata's favorite book.

A book he knew inside and out. Remembering every word on every page. Knowing the plot of the story like the palm of his hand.

That was probably something Kageyama didn't thought of before going into this.

Older Hinata was a new opponent for Kageyama, but for the older man, Kageyama was nothing but an old toy, he knew Kageyama's every trick.

If Keishin's theory was right, and Older Kageyama was also a professional Volleyball player in the future, then that means that Older Hinata is used to a monster. For Older Hinata, this Kageyama is nothing else but a small kitty compared to the big lion that he must be used to.

Older Kageyama was probably way more experienced, he has probably already mastered every trick in the book and knows what works and what doesn't.

This Kageyama was just beginning to experiment, barely starting to try new things, and against Older Hinata, that is going to be his greatest weakness.

Keishin saw Kageyama's team going for a synchronized attack, he saw how Hinata's team prepared themselves and started to mentally ask themselves who Kageyama was going to use.

All except for one, Older Hinata never took his eyes off Kageyama, so when the young setter tried to do a dump, Older Hinata was there to save the ball in a flash. Kageyama looked shocked, Older Hinata smirked.

Sugawara tossed to Ennoshita, who made a perfect spike. Older Hinata's team won the first set.

Keishin looked at the reaction of both teams and the realization hit him like that bucket of cold water he received as a prank that one winter during Junior High.

He had been tricked.

No, not just him, Kageyama had been tricked too.

But how?

Keishin flipped a coin, how was that bastard so lucky?

Keishin felt really dumb right now, his fingers twitched. He needed a smoke, pronto. Keishin turned to look at Older Hinata who was talking with his teammates. "That damn brat," Keishin muttered under his breath and sighed.

"Something the matter?" Keishin jumped about a foot in the air at Takeda-sensei's voice. He wasn't expecting the guy to be so close. Wasn't he sitting at the bench just a second ago?

"No, I just realized I have been tricked. Well not just me, Kageyama too," Keishin said.

"Tricked? What do you mean?" Takeda-sensei asked while tilting his head to the side like a curious puppy.

"Older Hinata tricked us, and he's starting the sparks of rivalry on the team in a good way. Why didn't I think about that before?" Keishin smacked his cheeks, much to the concern of his companion.

"I don't understand," Takeda-sensei said and Keishin looked for the better way to explain this.

"Look at Nishinoya and Daichi, for example. Both are the better ones at defense on the team, right now. When I asked them to pick a libero, Shouyou-san immediately went for Nishinoya, forcing Kageyama to pick Daichi. I have a feeling that if Kageyama chose Nishinoya, then Shouyou-san would've picked Daichi. Another example would be Tanaka and Asah, or Hinata and Tsukishima. Shouyou-san found a way to put them against each other. When they play alongside each other, they know that their teammates are amazing and appreciate them, but it's not until you play on opposite teams that you realize how truly amazing your teammates are, and that's when you start to say to yourself ' _I won't lose to you_ ', and you start to work harder and better. Your greatest rivals are never going to be your opponents, but your teammates. You don't want to get left behind on your own team."

Takeda-sensei still looked a little confused at his words, Keishin sighed. "The second set is about to start, grab your notebook and come here. I'm going to try to explain it better, and I want you to take notes, Sensei." The man nodded and did what he was told.

Keishin blew into the whistle, the teams got ready again. This time, it was Older Hinata's turn to serve, he prepared himself and after the whistle blew, he landed a perfect jump serve between Daichi and Kageyama.

_Oh, an ugly spot._

Keishin noticed that Sensei was back and started his commentary.

"Notice what he did there? He aimed his serve between the libero and the captain. That's a good thing in two ways. Imagine that the teams didn't know each other before hand. You know the libero is the better one at defense and the captain is supposed to be a clever, well rounded player. He's the one that covers any holes his team might've. If you aim your serve there, and they manage to pick it up, then you know that they're good at defense, but if they don't, then you start doing a mental note that defense might be one of their weaknesses. He tested them and also gave a powerful blow to their mental defenses," Keishin said and Sensei nodded and started to take notes.

"Also, since Shouyou-san knows that the better one at serves is Kageyama, then he manipulates his line up in a way that every time Kageyama serves, Older Hinata would be there to receive. Every time Kageyama is in the front, Older Hinata is there to stop his dumps. And not just that, Shouyou-san has been tricking the servers and spikers. He makes obvious clues that his defending one part of the court, making the server or spiker to aim to the other side but then he's suddenly there to receive. Notice anything weird about his receives or digs?" Takeda-sensei thought about it for a while.

"He seems to have incredible balance and is also very flexible, his speed seems to be helping him a lot too." Keishin nodded.

"There's that, yes. But there's something more. Look at Nishinoya and Daichi when they receive, now look at Shouyou-san and tell me what you see." Takeda-sensei observed them for a while. Once he gasped in surprise, Keishin knew that he got it. The guy was a teacher for a reason.

"He doesn't leave his feet."

"Exactly, he doesn't leave his feet, he never takes a knee. That helps a lot, he never loses his form, so he can adapt super quickly to any situation."

"Wow," Takeda-sensei said and started taking notes again. "What was that you were saying? About being tricked."

"Nishinoya and Daichi are the better ones at defense on the team right now, but Nishinoya is the libero of the team. By putting him against Daichi, someone who is also very good at defense and who happens to be on the same team as him, you're giving him a great rival. Right now, Daichi and Nishinoya are not praising each others saves, they're cursing them. _'How are you so good?', 'How were you able to save that?', 'Not even I could have saved that but he did', 'Just let the ball drop already',_ I bet you that's what they're thinking about each other right now. Nishinoya is the libero, so having someone else on the team being better at defense is going to hurt his pride. Daichi is the captain, I think he doesn't think much about himself, he probably thinks he's not really that special or good. But he's the captain for a reason, he's clever and cunning. He's responsible and commands attention and respect without even trying. He's also a well rounded player, he knows he needs to fill every hole his team might've. Our biggest hole is defense, that's why he got so good at it. But if he's failing at defense right now and watching Nishinoya being good at it, that's gotta hurt his pride too. He's supposed to be the support of the team. I bet you anything you want that after this match, both of them are going to work more on their defense. They're not going to get left behind. If you look closer you can see that they have been trying to copy each other and Shouyou-san. They also realized Shouyou-san's little technique too."

Takeda-sensei observed them for a while and realized that it was true, they have been trying to copy each other and Older Hinata. "What about Azumane-kun and Tanaka-kun?"

"Asahi is the ace of Karasuno, but he lacks confidence. He knows he's good and he has been trying to become better, but he still needs confidence. He knows he's supposed to be the one who scores more points and that puts a lot of pressure on him. So much so, that he left the team at the first sign of weakness. But then, Hinata showed up and that changed his view of things. Do you remember what happened with Hinata not that long ago?" Takeda-Sensei nodded.

"Well, that put a lot fear and pressure on him, and he has been trying to become even better than before after that, but now you put him against Tanaka, and suddenly he just realized that it's not just Hinata that can leave him in the dust, but Tanaka too. That's gotta hurt his pride. Tanaka and Hinata might be his teammates and friends, but _he's_ the _ace_. Tanaka on the other hand has the markings of an amazing ace, but he has judged himself and found himself lacking. He compared himself to Asahi and other aces out there, and realized that he's not there yet. He still needs work, he still needs to grow and learn more, so much more. He needs to convince the team and himself that he _can_ and _will_ _be_ Karasuno's next ace, but to do that, first he needs to surpass the current one. We might be seeing some intense spiking practice on the days to come from those two."

"I see, what about Tsukishima-kun and Hinata-kun?"

"Both play the same position and both think that the other one is better. Hinata sees Tsukishima as a better blocker, he's also jealous of his height and he's experience with the sport. On the other hand, Tsukishima sees himself as the man who needs to work on the shadows of Hinata's spotlight. Tsukishima has been playing Volleyball longer, and has a physically better body for it, but he considers Hinata a better spiker and jumper, and also a way better decoy than him. Middle blockers aren't just blockers, they're hitters and tricksters too. Tsukishima knows Hinata is a better spiker, so he has been trying to become a better blocker to not be left behind, but now that Hinata seems to be trying to be a better blocker, then Tsukishima is trying to be a better spiker. They're learning from each other, they're pushing each other to be better. _'You're not going to leave me behind, I won't let you,'_ is what they're thinking. Hinata is trying to become an iron wall, Tsukishima is about to spread his wings and is all thanks to each other. They're pushing each other to their limits and beyond."

"Is there more?"

"Yes, Ennoshita and Daichi. Ennoshita is going to be the next captain. The second-years already decided that, but Ennoshita doesn't trust himself in that role. He thinks too highly of Daichi, and he also doesn't think he's good enough. That's probably why Shouyou-san put him alongside Tanaka, Nishinoya and Young Hinata. If he can control those three out there on the court, and also help his team win with his own strategies and efforts, while playing two whole sets or maybe even three, then he's going to start thinking that he might be ready to become captain. There's also the fact that, the ones that aren't starters right now, are trying to become better so they can be regulars next year. Right now? They're not just playing a Volleyball match, they're fighting for a spot on the team. ' _Look how_ _good I am', 'Look I can help you win',_ is what's going through their heads at the moment."

"What about Kageyama-kun? Why did you asked Sawamura-kun to step down as captain for this match?"

"Ah, Kageyama. I think I know what's wrong with him. You see? Kageyama is in a way a spoiled child, but not in the way you might be thinking. He knows he's amazing on the court, he has been told that many times, to the point that he became arrogant and overconfident in a way. ' _King of the Court_ ' ring any bells? But then he met Hinata, and saw that there was someone out there that could surpass him if they wanted to, then his weaknesses were exposed. The facade of Mr. Perfect broke, and he was lost, but then he found himself here in Karasuno alongside Hinata. The person that can one day surpass him is now his teammate, and Hinata _needs_ _him_. Kageyama knows that if you take Hinata out of the picture, he's still going to be Kageyama. But if you take Kageyama out of the picture, Hinata is nothing. That's also something Hinata knows very well, I might be looking too much into it, but I feel that in a way, Kageyama likes that Hinata needs him. But, there are at least three things that are eating at him right now."

"One, he went to that camp and realized that he's not really that good, or that special. He saw Oikawa as an opponent but he already won against Oikawa, and while he wanted it or not, that went a little bit to his head. He knows that there are setters out there that are really good, but while he respects them and admires them in a way. I don't really think he considers setters like Kozume, Akaashi or Sugawara as rivals, but then he went and met Miya Atsumu. I have heard about the guy, I know he's extremely good and now, Kageyama knows that too. Going to that camp was like a slap to the face for him. You think you're a good setter? Well, here's Miya Atsumu. You think you're a good spiker? Well, here's Sakusa. You think you're a well rounded player? Well, here's Hoshiumi. Kageyama just realized that he's not that special, that there are people better and more experienced than him."

"The second thing that is bothering him is Hinata, both of them. He came back and the guy who needed him the most, suddenly is trying to grow for himself, to grow apart. Is like Hinata just turned around and told him ' _I know I need you but I don't want to need you,'_ that was slap number two. Then Older Hinata shows up, and Kageyama can now see that Young Hinata's potential is now a reality, making that slap number three, and finally as slap number four, was that quick. He just realized that he's not the only one that can do it, that there are _at_ _least_ two more people out there that can do it. He just realized that Hinata doesn't really need him, he just needs a good setter."

"If he's in such a bad place right now, then why did you wanted him to be captain?" Takeda-sensei asked and Keishin smirked.

"For reason number three, Kageyama's weakness, his communication skills. What sets Sugawara apart from Kageyama, is that Sugawara is great at communication, he's understanding and supportive. He talks with his teammates, he makes them feel at ease, comfortable. Communication between a setter and his spikers is key. Kageyama is lacking a lot of that. From what I have heard about how he was during Junior High, and from what I can see now, I know that he has been trying, but that's still not enough. Maybe he has been trying too hard, and I have a feeling that he got called out for it during the camp, and that's what's been bothering him lately. Kageyama knows what he wants to say, but he bites his tongue because he doesn't know how to express himself in a friendly and polite way, and he's also afraid of rejection. What happened in Junior High probably affected him more than he let's on. As a captain and a setter, you need to communicate with your team no matter what. You need to come up with strategies for you _and_ your team, you need to point out their mistakes so they can become better players, but you also need to be supportive and responsible. You need to be gentle, but strict at the same time. You want your teammates to fear you, but to want your approval too. That's a balance not many people can reach. By putting him against a setter and a captain that are experienced with that balance, maybe, just maybe. He would come to understand what he's lacking right now. Maybe seeing Sugawara and Shouyou-san talking with their teammates and feeling the pressure that he needs to do the same, then he would start to open up a little. At least, I hope so."

"Yeah, Shouyou-san seems like a natural leader out there, I'm surprised," Takeda-sensei commented and Keishin frowned.

"You mean, you don't know? Hinata was the captain of his team during Junior High," Keishin said and Takeda-sensei looked at him in surprise.

"Really?" He asked and Keishin nodded. "Yeah, Sugawara and Daichi told me."

"I didn't know that, but it does explain a lot." Keishin nodded and continued observing the match.

Older Hinata's team was at match point, one more point and the match would end with their victory. Sugawara set for Tanaka, but Daichi was able to receive, Kageyama prepared himself and set for Asahi. Karasuno's ace spiked the ball with great force, but Sugawara managed to keep it alive after some struggle, but now he couldn't set.

"Shouyou-san!" Sugawara shouted and Older Hinata prepared himself to set. Keishin wondered who he would use.

Older Hinata's team decided to do a synchronized attack, Tanaka was coming from the left, Ennoshita from the right and Young Hinata from the middle. Keishin looked at Kageyama's team and noticed that they were also wondering who Older Hinata would choose.

The ball was getting closer to Older Hinata now, once again Keishin wondered who he would choose.

He had set for Tanaka before, and they earned two points that way, but when he set for Ennoshita, he had been blocked. He also set for Sugarawa before, but Keishin didn't think Sugawara was coming to spike now, that receive had looked painful.

Older Hinata gave a subtle look to Young Hinata, it was a tiny and very subtle look, but that was all Kageyama and Keishin needed to know what was coming next. Older Hinata hadn't set for his younger self during the whole match, so everyone probably forgot that he could do the freak quick with Young Hinata, but Kageyama hadn't and prepared himself to block them.

Kageyama prepared his team to block the quick, Young Hinata jumped, the ball finally reached Older Hinata and then...

Everyone was speechless at what they just witnessed.

Kageyama, Asahi and Tsukishima landed on their feet and turned to look at Daichi, Kinoshita and Yamaguchi who were on the floor, the three of them had dived to save the ball, but weren't able to.

Young Hinata landed on his feet too and looked at Older Hinata in amazement, and he wasn't the only one. Nishinoya, Sugawara, Ennoshita, and Tanaka looked so surprised that they probably haven't even realized that they just _won_.

"Did he just...?" Takeda-sensei asked after the shock of what he just witnessed started to subside.

"He did," Keishin answered still in shock. "He tricked everyone by looking at Young Hinata, and then he didn't set the ball, he spiked it himself... with his left hand. The hand the blockers couldn't see."

"Shou..." Young Hinata started to say with stars shining in his eyes, but that little whisper seemed to break whatever spell came over all of them.

"Shouyou-san!" Older Hinata's team screamed, and they tackled the man to the ground in celebration. Keishin turned to look at Kageyama and his team, all of them still seemed to be in shock.

Keishin walked towards them and said, "I warned you. I told you that you were going against a pro, so don't look so disappointed and upset, learn from everything you just witnessed. It's just a practice match after all." Slowly, Kageyama's team started to nod.

"Gather around guys, let's have a talk," Keishin said, he made sure that his voice was loud enough to be heard over the noises of celebration, and after a little while, Older Hinata's team started to quiet down and getting up from the floor.

"Grab your drinks and towels, then meet me at the bench," Keishin said and the guys nodded.

Well, all except one.

Kageyama was looking at Older Hinata who got up from the floor and started walking towards where he had left his jacket and water bottle. He didn't look like he just won, the man just looked tired. Kageyama scowled and ran towards him, Keishin sighed and observed the scene.

"Oi!" Kageyama shouted and stopped a little bit behind Older Hinata, the man stopped in his tracks and turned towards Kageyama slowly.

"Yes?"

"You won," Kageyama said through gritted teeth.

"I'm aware."

By now everyone in the gym was looking at the two.

"You won, so why aren't you happy?!" Kageyama shouted in anger.

"What do you mean? I'm dying of excitement, can't you tell?" Older Hinata deadpanned.

"Don't joke around. You won against _me_ , so why aren't you happy?!" Kageyama shouted angrily again, Older Hinata sighed.

"Kageyama-kun," Older Hinata said gently. "Do you think this is the first time I play against you?" Older Hinata asked and Kageyama froze, eyes going wide.

"I don't need to hide this from you, because I'm sure you already figured it out by yourself, but where I come from, you're also a professional Volleyball player, and we don't play on the same team. Our teams have played against each other many times, and sometimes your team wins, and sometimes, my team wins, that's how Volleyball is. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go drink some water," Older Hinata said and started walking away from Kageyama, leaving the younger man to just stare in shock at his retreating back.

Keishin cleared his throat loudly, and motioned to his team that it was meeting time.

Keishin took the notes that Narita and Takeda-sensei took and sat on the bench and waited. After a little while, Shimizu-san and Yachi-san, sat to his left side, and Takeda-sensei to his right. The guys made a circle in front of the bench and sat on the floor and waited.

Kageyama was the last one to join them. Young Hinata noticed that Kageyama sat besides him and offered him some water, Kageyama took it gratefully. Well, at least they don't seem to be mad at each other. That's a relief.

Keishin cleared his throat and looked towards Older Hinata. "Do you want to join us, Shouyou-san?" Keishin asked and the man thought about it and after a while he nodded and stepped near them, but not too close, it was clear he wasn't planning on participating, he just wanted to listen.

Yachi-san offered Older Hinata a chair, and the man took it with a smile. He put his track jacket on and sat on the chair, water bottle in hand.

"You don't mind if we talk about you, right?" Keishin asked, Older Hinata shook his head and gave a 'go ahead' with his hand, Keishin nodded and turned towards his students.

"Well, guys. What did we learned today?" The majority of his students raised their hands.

Keishin sighed. "Ok, let's start with serves. What did we learned there?" Keishin asked and Tanaka, Asahi, Yamaguchi, Daichi, Nishinoya, and Sugawara raised a hand.

"Daichi, what did you learned?" Daichi nodded at him and started to explain to his teammates his observations.

"Well, I noticed that Shouyou-san tended to aim his serves between the libero and the captain, or the middle blocker and the ace. But he mainly aimed towards me, the libero." Daichi said and Keishin nodded.

"And why do you think he was aiming there?" Keishin asked and Daichi thought about it.

"He was testing our defense. If I, who was the libero, couldn't pick up his serve or Kageyama, who is a well rounded player, couldn't picked it up either, then that meant our defense was weak. He was testing us, and also showing us that we're weak there," Daichi finished and Keishin nodded.

"That's correct, it's true that when you serve you aim to score, but also aim to test your opponents too. Imagine going against a team you have never played against, you want to know how good their defense is, so aim for the libero or the captain. You know the libero has to be the best one at defense, and the captain is supposed to cover the weaknesses of his team, so if defense happens to be one of those weaknesses, then the captain would get better at defense too. So, if they manage to pick the ball up, then you know their defense is good, but if they don't, then you know that the defense is a weakness for them, and you also give that team a mental blow," Keishin explained and the team nodded in unison.

"Anything else?" Yamaguchi and Asahi raised their hands.

"Yes, Yamaguchi?" Keishin said, and the young man looked surprised for a second but then nodded.

"I noticed that he never let us get used to his serve technique. He started doing powerful spike serves, but then switched to a normal serve when he noticed that everyone stepped back to receive it. The ball ended up close to the net on that one, and we couldn't save it in time. He also did a jump floater after he noticed that Kageyama managed to receive his spike serve." Yamaguchi said and Keishin nodded.

Yeah, that had been crazy, it kind of made Keishin wonder what kind of serve Shouyou-san would have done if the match kept going. Professional players are scary.

"Yeah, that's another thing he did. He never let you guys get used to it. Starting with a jump serve, then a completely normal one, then a jump floater. He switched things around so you guys didn't know what to expect every time he came up to serve. Listen, I told you this before but, the players at Nationals are not going to have just one type of serve. You guys are used to the normal ones, to jump serves, and the occasional jump floater. You're also used to one player having only one type of serve. You might be prepared for Kageyama's jump serve, or for Yamaguchi's jump floater, maybe even for an underhand serve, but what happens when the person in front of you knows how to do those three? You know if Kageyama is serving, then is a jump serve, if is Yamaguchi, then is a jump floater, if is Hinata-kun, then it's a normal one. But what happens when is Shouyou-san serving? You know he has more than one style, so how do you prevent the nerves from clouding your mind and prepare yourself to act quickly?" Keishin asked, his students seemed to think hard for a while.

After a minute or two, Daichi, Sugawara, Kageyama, Nishinoya, and Yamaguchi, raised their hands. Keishin was so surprised that Kageyama raised his hand that he picked him immediately.

"By observing their pre-serve routine. When doing a normal serve, you don't jump, so that's the biggest giveaway to that one. Your form is also different if you're doing a jump serve or a jump floater. Count the steps they take before they jump maybe? Or to what side of their body they put their weight towards? Maybe how they handle the ball?" Keishin smiled, that was a good idea but Kageyama seemed to be missing something.

Keishin turned to look towards Shouyou-san, the man rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm on it," he said and he got up from his chair, he took his jacket off and headed towards the court, much to the confusion of the team.

Keishin asked his students to watch Shouyou-san closely. The man picked a ball from the cart and prepared himself.

He did a completely normal underhand serve, he then went back and picked another ball, doing another one just like the one before, but this time he send the ball high into the ceiling, where the bright lights blinded everyone and they only managed to hear the ball slamming into the floor.

Shouyou-san went back to the cart and picked another ball, he did a nomal jump serve, and then he did a powerful jump serve that looked more like a spike than a serve. He then went back and did another jump serve, but this time he hit the ball with the tip of his fingers, the ball barely made it pass the net.

He then did two jump floaters, he aimed one to the back of the court, and the other one was a little closer to the net. Then he did another two, he did one that looked like a jump floater, but ended up being a jump serve instead, and then he did it again but this time backwards. What seemed to be a jump serve ended up being a jump floater.

Keishin looked at his students after the man was done. The looks of amazement, jealousy and fear almost made him smile, almost. He wasn't _that_ sadistic.

"See? Servers can trick you into believing that you got it, but you really don't. I'm not saying Kageyama's idea was bad, it was great actually, but if you go into a match thinking you have someone already figured out, then you have already lost. I told you before, relax and observe first, then act, got it?" Keishin asked and his students nodded. Shouyou-san picked the balls he used and put them back in the cart then sat down again.

"Okay, let's put serves a little bit to the side right now and tell me about Shouyou-san's emergency sets," Keishin said and Sugawara and Kageyama raised their hands.

"Sugawara."

"Thank you, Coach. I noticed that Shouyou-san's tosses are very easy to hit, they're very precise too. There's no way a spiker can missed one of his tosses, if it's not too much for you, Shouyou-san. Can you tell me what helped you be that precise with your sets?" Sugawara asked and Older Hinata looked surprised for a moment.

There was a weird look on his face, he was probably debating if he should answer that question with the truth or not. After a moment he shrugged and smiled at Sugawara. "The wind," the man said and left it at that, everyone looked confused.

Keishin cleared his throat and asked Kageyama for his input. "He also uses many tricks, like that subtle look he gave to Hinata at the end, only to spike the ball himself. And during the first set, it seemed like he was going in for a spike, but then he set to Tanaka-san at the last moment. Then when he did that back toss to Sugawara-san, he looked at Tanaka-san first, who was coming in front of him, making us believe he was going to toss to him again, but then he did a back toss to Sugawara-san instead, he tossed to where there were no blockers. He also tricked Tsukishima into blocking him, but since he was setting instead of spiking you gave the point to them."

Yeah, Keishin remembered that one, clever little trick he did there. Keishin almost didn't want to give him the point, _almost_. But at the end of the day, he was a Volleyball player and a coach. He knew the rules by heart, so he gave the little bastard the point.

_Ya happy, now?_

"Yeah, you're quite the trickster, aren't ya?" Keishin asked Older Hinata. The man snorted at being called a trickster.

"You know, someone I know would call me the _Ultimate Decoy_ instead." The team gave dark looks to Kageyama at that. The raven-haired teen slumped and muttered something about awakening monsters.

"And another friend would tell me, ' _Setters are the ones who rule the court, Shouyou-kun. It's our domain and we have to let them know',_ " Older Hinata finished quoting his friend with a smile. Kageyama and Sugawara perked up at his words, probably wondering how true those words were, and how they could apply them for themselves.

"Okay, what about defense?" Keishin asked and Nishinoya and Daichi raised their hands.

"Yes, Nishinoya?"

"Yes, finally!" The young man celebrated while fist bumping the air. He stood up and started talking excitedly, although his hands seemed to do most of the talking.

"Shouyou-san was like a Ninja." Older Hinata snorted at that. "He was in one part of the court and then _boom_ he suddenly was on the other side doing a perfect receive. He tricked the spikers by giving signs that he was defending one area in a certain way, so the spikers aimed the ball to the other side, but then he was there saving the ball. How did he did that? You're probably wondering. Well, because one, he's that awesome, and two, because he never took a knee, that's right. Every receive and dig, with those beautiful passes, were done with his feet well planted on the floor. So, he never lost his form and was able to adapt to the situation super quickly. He has incredible balance, speed and flexibility. He also always knows where the ball is going, even when it changes course while in midair. And that save and pass he did with his leg was unbelievable. How did you come up with that technique, I wanna learn how to receive like that too. Please, tell me your secrets, Shouyou-senpai."

Nishinoya pleaded and Older Hinata gave him the same look he gave Sugawara before, then he sighed and said, "the sand." Much to the confusion of everyone present.

Nishinoya blinked once, twice. He then blushed in embarrassment and sat down again. "Well, that's all I wanted to say. Please, continue."

Keishin looked at his watch. "Well, it's getting late, so we're going to rush through the next two. Blocking, anyone noticed anything out of the ordinary?" Kinoshita raised his hand.

"Yes, Kinoshita?"

"Well, I noticed that when I tried to do a block out using Shouyou-san's fingers, he moved his hand out of the way and made me missed." Keishin nodded, he noticed that too.

"Yes, we'll talk about that more on our next practice. What about spiking? Anything out of the ordinary that hasn't been mentioned before?" The guys thought about it and shook their heads.

Keishin wasn't surprised.

Shouyou-san didn't spiked much during the match, but every time he did, he made it count.

"Well, then. You guys know what to do. Do your stretches, clean after yourselves, and we'll see each other on our next practice, have a nice weekend," Keishin said and bowed to his students who bowed at him too.

"Thank you, sir. Have a nice weekend," the team said in unison and started to disperse, talking amongst themselves.

Keishin turned towards Takeda-sensei and then nodded towards Older Hinata, Sensei nodded and followed him.

"Shouyou-san, where do you plan on staying?" Keishin asked Older Hinata.

"Dunno. Obviously, I can't go with Shouyou-kun, I don't want to give my family a heart attack. Besides, I feel like the less people that know about me, the better. I also don't want to intrude in anyone's home life. There's also the problem that I don't think my credit cards would work here. That puts renting a room out of the question. So, honestly. I have no idea what to do," Older Hinata said honestly, so the man had been thinking about it.

Fortunately for him, Keishin and Takeda-sensei also thought about it.

"Shouyou-san," Takeda-sensei started to say. "You can stay with me, my apartment is close by, and I live alone. I have a spare bedroom, so you won't be in anyone's way. Please, accept my offer, I know you're older now, but you're still one of my students, and I feel responsible for you," Sensei said with a bow, Older Hinata looked surprised.

The man went quiet for a moment. He was probably thinking hard about the offer. After a minute or two, he sighed and nodded. "Thank you very much, Sensei. I appreciate it," Older Hinata said and bowed to his former teacher. Takeda-sensei smiled reassuringly at him.

"Shouyou-san!" Young Hinata came running towards them. Keishin looked around and noticed that the team finished their stretches, and were now looking at the three of them.

Did they heard their conversation?

"You're going to stay with Takeda-sensei tonight?" Young Hinata asked.

So, they did heard their conversation.

Keishin needed to have a talk with them about not listening on conversations between adults. Nah, he'll do it later. He wasn't their father after all. It could wait.

"Yes, why?" Older Hinata asked, Young Hinata hesitated, he got shy all of a sudden. He looked at his shoes and started playing with his shorts. He muttered something under his breath that none of them seemed to understand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that," Older Hinata said and Young Hinata looked at his older self. He looked about ready to cry.

"You're not going to disappear tonight, are you? You're still going to be here tomorrow, right?" Young Hinata asked and Keishin heard how the team gasped in surprise. Older Hinata gave a gentle look to his younger self.

"I don't know, that could be a possibility," the man answered honestly.

No one knew what was going to happen. This was new for all of them.

Young Hinata sniffed and surprised everyone by jumping into the arms of his older self. Older Hinata looked shocked, but he managed to hold the small teen in time, the instincts of not dropping the child to the hard floor were probably stronger than his shock.

"I don't want you to disappear!" Young Hinata cried. "I don't want you to go. I want you to go with us to Nationals, even if you don't coach us. Just watch us play and cheer for us. Watch us win. Please, stay!" Young Hinata cried into the man's neck.

Older Hinata closed his eyes and hugged his younger self. The man looked pained, it was clear he didn't want to hurt the child's feelings, but he knew that the decision wasn't up to him.

"That's not up to me, kiddo," Older Hinata said while rubbing the kid's back. "Tell you what? If I'm still here tomorrow, then why don't you and I hang out, okay?" Older Hinata asked and Young Hinata nodded into his neck.

"Yeah, okay," was Young Hinata's shaky response.

"Oi. Just the two of you? That's not fair," Nishinoya complained.

"Yeah, what about us? Your awesome senpais, aren't we invited? You're hurting my feelings, bro. Right here on my heart," Tanaka said next, and he pointed to the wrong side of his chest.

"Yeah, we wanna hang out with the Hinatas too. Can we please go?" Sugawara joined the group.

Young Hinata raised his head and wiped his tears away, then he turned to look at his teammates and then at Older Hinata. The man gave him a nod, Young Hinata smiled at him, and then turned to look at his teammates with a smile.

"Of course, you guys are all invited too. Let's all of us hang out tomorrow with Shouyou-san!" Young Hinata said and the team cheered. Glad to see their friend back to normal.

Young Hinata then seemed to realize that he was still in the arms of his older self, and with a sheepish look asked to be pulled down.

"Here, Hinata-kun," Takeda-Sensei said and gave a card to Young Hinata. "This is my number, call me tomorrow when you guys are ready." Young Hinata nodded and thanked his teacher.

"Go home and rest, brats. No extra practice, okay?" Keishin said while looking at Hinata and Kageyama, the both of them blushed in embarrassment at being called out. "Remember, rest is important too, especially now. No practicing tomorrow, either. Sunday is your mandatory rest day, so please, don't put your health in danger, understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"See you tomorrow, guys," Keishin said.

"Good night, everyone. See you tomorrow," Takeda-sensei said.

The team bowed at them and wished them a good night too. Takeda-sensei turned towards Older Hinata. "Whenever you're ready, Shouyou-san." Takeda-sensei said and Older Hinata nodded.

Older Hinata looked at the team. "Have a nice evening, everyone. See you guys soon," Older Hinata said to the team.

Keishin noticed that he didn't said ' _See you tomorrow_ '. Just _soon_ , the man really didn't wanted to give them false hope.

"Good night, Shouyou-san. Thank you for the match," the team said in unison, Older Hinata smiled at them all, he then turned to look at his younger self and ruffled the kid's hair.

"See you soon, kiddo. Take care." Young Hinata hugged his older self goodbye and waved to the three adults as they left the gym.

Once Keishin got home, he took a well deserved shower and prepared a healthy dinner for himself. After he was done, he cleaned after himself and picked up the notes from today's practice. Older Hinata, while intentionally or not, had been a great help. Keishin now knew what he needed to do to improve his team by a lot.

Keishin grabbed a pencil and a notebook and started to write his new ideas down. His students won't even know what hit them.

_I hope you're ready Karasuno._

_I'm about to give you your biggest challenge yet._

* * *

Kageyama looked around the park, he knew he was fifteen minutes earlier than the hour they agreed on, but he was pretty sure that he wasn't the only one here.

Sure enough, as he got closer to the swing sets, he noticed a mop of orange curls. Hinata was sitting in one of the swings, he was moving his feet back and forth, causing the swing to move a little. Tobio walked closer and sat down on the other swing. He noticed that Hinata was clutching his phone in his right hand.

 _So, he hasn't called yet, huh_.

At first, Tobio didn't understand why Hinata had acted so weird yesterday towards his older self. Sure, meeting your older self was probably really cool. Tobio would be lying if he'll say that he wasn't curious about Older Kageyama Tobio, because he was, a lot. He would like to talk with his older self about Volleyball and other things, but at the end of the day, he would let the man go, but Hinata didn't want to let Older Hinata go.

At first, Tobio didn't understand, Hinata's reaction had been childish in his eyes, but then, when Tobio got home and sat down to eat dinner with his parents and older sister, he remembered something.

Back when they had been studying like crazy so they could go to Tokyo for their training camp with Nekoma and the others, Hinata invited Tobio to his house one Saturday to study, and Tobio had said yes.

Riding over that mountain had been fun and a great exercise, but then Hinata stopped at a neighbor's house to pick up his little sister, and the Hinata that Tobio was so used to, dissapeared and was replaced with what Tobio would later describe as ' _The Perfect Older Brother'_.

Tobio stayed until late that day, it was already dark out by the time he had left, but no adult had come home yet. Hinata had taken care of his little sister all day, cooking for her, making sure she didn't hurt herself while playing outside, giving her only healthy snacks. Not letting her stay up too late, helping her into her pajamas, and even stayed with her until she felt asleep.

Hinata mentioned to his sister that their mom would come home late that night, that something had come up at work. Never a mention of a father, or older siblings. Tobio didn't know anything about Hinata's family, and honestly he didn't wanted to ask, that wasn't his place.

But last night, as he ate his mom's home cooked dinner, while his father asked him if he needed help with his homework, and his sister complained about Tobio needing a haircut and to ' _Please, Tobio. Take a_ _shower_ _before you come down for dinner, you stink_.' He realized something, Tobio was no older brother, he didn't know the pressure of taking care of someone so small and fragile. He didn't know how to cook either.

He always eat whatever healthy food his mother or sister put in front of him. He didn't need to take care of the house either, that had always been his father's job. Heck, even with Volleyball they were different. Tobio had his grandfather and his sister for Volleyball while growing up. Hinata had no one, he had to clumsily learned everything by himself.

In front of them, Hinata was so carefree that it looked childish, but at home, he was the man of the house. How much pressure does that put on him? And how much of that pressure dissapeared yesterday at the sight of his older self. Maybe Tobio was looking too much into it, but maybe, just maybe. Older Hinata was here to fill the role of the older male figure that was missing in Hinata's life.

The man was too young to fill the role of a father but what about the role of an older brother? Or a mentor? Hinata definitely needed someone like that, even if it was just for a little while.

Someone who would come to their games to cheer him on, someone that proudly declared ' _Look_ , _that's my little brother right there.'_ Just like the older siblings of Tsukishima and Tanaka-san had done before. Someone who gave him meat buns or ice cream if he won, someone who helped him get better if he happened to lose. Someone who would do for him the same things he does for his little sister everyday. Hinata was still a kid after all, no one could blame him if he wanted to be spoiled once in a while.

Maybe for Hinata his older self happened to be that someone.

Tobio sighed and looked at the sky. "You haven't called yet, have you?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I'm afraid. What if he's not there? What if he's gone? What if everything was just a dream?" Hinata asked and Tobio looked at the smaller teen. Hinata wasn't looking at him, he was looking at his hand, the one that was clutching his phone.

"Well, you won't know until you call him." Kageyama poked the smaller teen on the arm, silently calling for his attention. Tobio waited until Hinata was looking at him and after their eyes met, Tobio gave him a challenging look. "Call him," Tobio said and Hinata nodded at him and then took a deep breath. He took out the card that Takeda-sensei gave him yesterday, and then, he started to dial the number.

Kageyama and Hinata heard the phone ringing and waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's that? Two POVs in one chapter? And one of them was Kageyama's?! What?!
> 
> QOTD: Will Shouyou-san be there to answer the phone? Find out next chapter!
> 
> Okay, I don't know if is just me, but I feel like this chapter was longer than the other ones. It was more dialogue heavy, that's for sure. Hope that didn't bother you.
> 
> Now QUESTIONS and EXPLANATIONS.
> 
> 1) So, I know a lot of Haikyu!! writers like to headcanon Kageyama as a 'lonely child,' and while that is probably true friends wise before Karasuno, that's not true family wise. He does have both parents and an older sister, I did not made that up. He also spend a lot of time with his grandfather growing up. I won't spoil everything for anime fans, but if you read the manga then you know why he became "like that." We only know that Hinata lives with his mom and younger sister, never a mention of a father or anything else, so that's why I made all of that up. Is not like everything is made up, Hinata seemed kind of motherly towards Pedro. It was clear that between the two of them Hinata was the more responsible one. If he was like that towards his roommate, now imagine how he must have been with Natsu, his little sister. I also hope that Kageyama's thoughts explain to you why Hinata is being "weird."
> 
> 2) If some of the things Shouyou-san did during the match sound familiar is because they are actually canon. How creative of me, right? I haven't played Volleyball since Junior High, give me a break. Btw if you're wondering why Shouyou-san knows how to do a Jump Floater now, then blame Atsumu. I just really liked their teamwork in the manga, and I feel that they would have learned a lot from each other. Always pushing each other to be better and all that, they both like to try new things. Who needs memories, right?
> 
> 3) You didn't get to see the whole match because I wanted the team to talk about it, so I'm telling you, instead of showing you. My English teacher is probably very disappointed in me right now. Sorry, Miss. I'll do better next time, I promise.
> 
> 4) Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai agree to let Shouyou-san stay with Takeda when they talked about asking him to become a coach. What's Karasuno's 'biggest challenge'? Find out soon.
> 
> I think that's it, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me in the comments. Don't be shy, I'm all ears, or eyes. You get it.
> 
> Have a nice day. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, stay safe and healthy. Write to you, later. Bye :)


	4. Karasuno's Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karasuno takes a break. Monday's practice is full of surprises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone. Thank you once again for giving this story a chance. Thank you for all the kudos, comments and bookmarks. I really appreciate all of you.
> 
> Once again, all mistakes are mine and mine alone, don't be afraid to point them out, I won't get mad. English is not my first language.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter! :)
> 
> P.S - For those of you following my One Piece fics those are getting an update soon, I have been trying to make the chapters a little longer, that's why is taking so long.

Hinata dialed Takeda-sensei's number, Tobio took a deep breath. For the sake of the team and of Hinata, he really hopes that the older redhead is still there. Hinata couldn't lose control of his feelings right now. Not with Nationals getting closer and closer everyday.

They all needed to give it their all. The top was waiting for them, they only needed to reach it.

Hinata put his phone in speaker mode as the phone started ringing. Tobio held his breath, he could hear Hinata doing the same beside him.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

And finally...

"Hello?" Takeda-sensei answered the phone. "Takeda speaking, who's this?" The man asked and Hinata cleared his throat.

"Takeda-sensei. It's me, Hinata Shouyou."

"Oh, Hinata-kun. Good morning."

"Good morning, Sensei," Hinata said and closed his eyes. "Is, is Shouyou-san with you?" Hinata asked in a shaky voice.

Takeda-sensei was silent for a moment, Tobio prepared himself, that silence wasn't a good sign, he just knew it. "I'm sorry, Hinata-kun. He's not here." Hinata's breath hitched and he almost dropped his phone. Tobio reacted quickly and caught it.

Takeda-sensei was saying something, so Tobio brought the phone closer to himself.

"Wait, wait. Hinata-kun, I'm sorry. It's not what you think, listen to me." Tobio heard Takeda-sensei's panicked voice saying. "Sensei, this is Kageyama. What do you mean?"

"Oh, Kageyama. Well, um. Listen, Shouyou-san woke up here but... well he woke up before me, and left me a note saying that he was going for a run and that he'll be back later, but he hasn't come back yet. I don't know if he's not done yet or if he got lost... or something else." Or if he dissapeared just like he appeared, bathed in a bright light that blinded everyone around it.

Tobio looked at Hinata, it was clear that the small teen had heard their teacher's panicked explanation. The color he seemed to lose a few seconds ago, was now slowly returning to his face, Tobio sighed. "Sensei, when did he leave?" Tobio asked and he heard Takeda-sensei's sigh of relief on the other side. The next time Takeda-sensei spoke, he sounded a little more calm than before.

"I'm not sure, I woke up at seven and he was already gone," Takeda-sensei answered. Tobio checked the time on Hinata's phone. It was 8:52 AM now. The man had been gone for a long time now. Was he really still here?

"The others will start to arrive soon, we'll call back after everyone gets here, then. Goodbye, Sensei," Tobio said and after he heard Takeda-sensei saying his goodbyes too, he hang up. Tobio pocketed Hinata's phone and sat down again and waited for the others to arrive.

One look at Hinata's face and Tobio could tell that the boy was extremely worried. Tobio sighed, if Hinata got depressed and started to mess up during practice, then he swears that one day, when they're twenty six years old, he'll kick Hinata's ass until he can't play Volleyball anymore. Yeah, that sounds like a good payback.

It wasn't long until the others started showing up. Sawamura-san, Sugawara-san, and Azumane-san, were the first ones to arrive. After a few greetings and worried glances towards Hinata, the three went to sit to the nearest bench. Tobio couldn't hear what they were whispering about, but if the worried looks they kept throwing Hinata's way were any indication, then whatever it was, it was probably about the boy.

Nishinoya-san and Tanaka-san were the next ones to arrive, talking about some new video game that Tanaka-san was playing. Their arrival seemed to distract Hinata of whatever he was thinking about, soon he was telling Tanaka-san about tricks that Nekoma's setter had mentioned to him. The rest of the second-years arrived after them, and after their greetings, they joined the third-years at the bench.

Shimizu-san and Yachi-san arrived a little later than the others, the arrival of Shimizu-san distracted Nishinoya-san and Tanaka-san, and immediately Hinata started to worry again, thankfully Yachi-san noticed, and started to animatedly talk to the two of them about a new project that she and Shimizu-san were planning for the team.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were the last ones to arrive. Or more like, Yamaguchi arrived while pretty much dragging Tsukishima towards them. Tobio rolled his eyes at the scene, if he didn't want to come, then why was he here then? They could do just fine without him, thank you very much.

Tobio looked around and nodded to himself, he got Hinata's phone out of his pocket and he gave it back to the little tangerine. Tobio ignored the questioning looks that his teammates were giving him, he looked straight at Hinata. "Call him," Tobio challenged again. Hinata swallowed and nodded at him, the boy took the phone and once again, he called their teacher.

Hinata put his phone in speaker mode again as their teammates got closer to the two of them.

One ring.

Their teammates formed a circle around them.

Two rings.

Everyone seemed to hold their breaths.

Three rings.

"Hey, kiddo. What's up?" Older Hinata's voice asked from the other side and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Hinata's eyes got wide, and Tobio could swear that there were stars on them. Hinata smiled, all bright and happy. Tobio sighed and gave a small smile. Well, one less problem to deal with. Now they just needed to deal with everything else, but that was a problem for the them of tomorrow. It could wait.

"Shouyou-san!" Hinata along with many of their teammates shouted at the same time. Tobio flinched, that had been loud, and apparently, he wasn't the only one who thought that.

"Woah, calm down. You're gonna kill my poor ear. So, is everyone there?" Older Hinata asked.

"Yeah, everyone is here. Well, except you guys and Coach Ukai," Hinata said and Older Hinata hummed in response.

"Listen, meet me at Coach Ukai's store in half an hour. Also, make sure to buy some snacks for the road," Older Hinata said and everyone looked a little confused.

"Snacks? Road? What are you talking about, Shouyou-san?" Hinata asked.

"Gotta go, see you guys soon." Older Hinata hang up on them, leaving everyone utterly confused. They stared at one another for a long moment, Sawamura-san sighed and told them to grab their stuff and start walking towards Coach Ukai's store. The team listened to their captain and started walking in the right direction.

After they bought a few snacks and drinks, Coach Ukai asked them to wait outside, he then went to call someone to take care of the store for him. The team sat down on the ground and started taking turns playing Tanaka-san's new video game.

A familiar sound distracted them from watching how Nishinoya-san fought the beast that none of them had managed to kill yet. They followed the sound and to their surprise they were met with the sight of their bus in front of them. The one they used to go to Tokyo for their training camp.

Takeda-sensei parked the bus right in front of them and Older Hinata opened the doors with a big smile on his face. Hinata ran towards the older man and jumped into his arms. The man caught him with ease, as if he was used to kids randomly jumping into his arms or something. The team got up and greeted their teacher, and Takeda-sensei greeted them back. Coach Ukai got out of his store and greeted their teacher too.

"Good morning, everyone," Older Hinata said and the team greeted him back. Hinata came back to them with a sheepish look on his face after he let go of the older man.

"Alright, everyone. Get in the bus. Make yourselves comfortable because we have a long journey ahead of us," Coach Ukai told them, but the team just stared at him dumbfounded.

Coach seemed to understand immediately. "Don't ask me where we're going, _I do not know_. Only _he_ knows," Coach Ukai said while pointing to Older Hinata who was going inside the store alongside Takeda-sensei.

"Well, you heard the Coach. Let's go, guys." Sawamura-san said, the team nodded and sat in their usual seats.

Shimizu-san, Yachi-san, Sawamura-san, and Sugawara-san, sat on the front. Azumane-san also decided to sit on the front, but by himself, that way he could stretch his legs.

Nishinoya-san and Tanaka-san decided to sit on the back as usual. Ennoshita-san and the other second-years decided to sit near them, so they could keep an eye on them. Tobio and the rest of the first-years decided to go for the seats in the middle.

After waiting a few minutes, Older Hinata, Takeda-sensei, and Coach Ukai, came back from the store, bags in hand. Apparently, they also bought some snacks and drinks for themselves. The three adults put their bags away and took their seats and to the surprise of everyone, the one who sat on the driver's seat was Older Hinata.

"You can drive?!" The team - with the exception of Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai - shouted in unison.

Older Hinata looked at them weirdly and then sighed. "Guys, I'm 26, of course I can drive. I usually don't, though. I hate traffic." Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai nodded in agreement and understanding.

"Shouyou-san, where are we going?" Hinata asked the older man, the older redhead just smiled at them. "No spoilers," he said and prepared himself to drive.

Tobio woke up to the sound of Coach Ukai's whistle. He heard many groans around him and yawned. What was going on, again? Oh that's right, Older Hinata was taking them somewhere. "Wake up, sleepyheads!" Tobio heard Older Hinata said, Coach and Sensei chuckled.

Little by little, Tobio and his teammates started to wake up. Once they did, they looked outside the windows and noticed where they were.

"Oooohhhh," Tobio and his teammates said in unison. Eyes wide and excitement building inside them.

Skiing.

Older Hinata took them skiing. The team was about ready to come out of the bus running in excitement, but when they turned around Coach Ukai was already at the door, holding a hand up to stop them. "Wait, you guys need to get ready first. Follow us and _behave,_ " Coach Ukai said with authority in his voice and a dark look in his eyes. The team nodded and obeyed. Scary, Coach Ukai is scary.

After they got ready, Coach Ukai let them enjoy themselves. The team went snowboarding and skiing. The place Older Hinata took them even had a place designed just to play on the snow. So, after they had their little races in snowboarding and skiing, they had a snowball fight, and little competitions to see who could build the better snowman or snow castle, the girls definitely won the last two. The team didn't want to leave the resort but they were getting hungry, so reluctantly, they said their goodbyes to the place, and Older Hinata took them to eat some delicious hot ramen.

Everyone was cold after spending so much time playing on the snow, but no one seemed to be enjoying the steamy hot ramen more than Older Hinata. The team looked at Older Hinata and then at each other and started hiding their smiles. Older Hinata looked like a little kid on Christmas' morning.

Hinata looked at his older self in worry. "Shouyou-san, did you not had breakfast this morning or something?"

Older Hinata blushed in embarrassment when he noticed that everyone was staring at him. Takeda-sensei chuckled. "We had breakfast this morning, but to be honest, he had that same reaction to the food. He had it for last night's dinner too."

"Sorry, it's just. I missed these food so much," Older Hinata tried to explain but then he stopped himself and looked at the ceiling and frowned. It was clear that he had said something that he didn't mean to, or wasn't supposed to say.

"Oh. You missed Miyagi's food? So you don't play near Miyagi?" Hinata asked his older self and the man gave him a weird look. "Yeah, something like that. Excuse me," Older Hinata excused himself and headed straight to the restroom.

Tobio noticed that Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei shared a look, and he saw that Sugawara-san and Sawamura-san did the same. He also noticed Tsukishima was following the man with his eyes, Tsukishima has that same look on his face that Tobio's classmates get whenever they're trying to solve a complicated test question.

After they were done with their food, they were offered some tea that was supposed to help you relax your muscles. Older Hinata hadn't come back yet, but Coach Ukai asked for some tea for the older redhead too. After the girl was done serving them, Sawamura-san stood up and asked for their attention.

"I know this kind of things are done with wine or something like that, but we're minors and athletes, so I'll do it with the tea instead. I want to thank all of you for this. Suga, Asahi, thank you so much for listening to a crazy guy during your first year of High School, thank you for not giving up on me, on the team, or the sport we love, thank you for spending hours practicing with me, I wouldn't be here without the two of you. Shimizu-san, thank you so much for saying yes that day, and shouldering such a big responsibility for almost three years now. We wouldn't be here without you. Noya, Tanaka, Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita, thank you for joining our team even when you knew it wasn't the best, thank you for being there and for not giving up on us no matter what. Takeda-sensei, thank you so much for accepting such a big responsibility even when you didn't know anything about us or the sport. Thank you for all the things you have done for us, we wouldn't be here if it weren't for all your efforts. Yachi-san, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi, thank you for joining us, and for not giving up on us, and thank you so much for letting me see you grow even more and more every day. Thank you so much for caring so much about this team, even when you didn't had to. Coach Ukai, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for supporting us and for teaching us so many things. I know we're not easy to deal with, but thank you so much for not giving up on us. If today we're known as champions, then I want you to know that is in great part thanks to you and all of your efforts."

"And finally, Hinata and Kageyama. I know I was harsh with the two of you at first, and I'm sorry, but thank you for not giving up, and for overcoming your differences and becoming teammates and a great duo on the court. Thank you so much for choosing our school and our team, even when it wasn't your first choice, or the more convenient one. Thank you for not giving up on us, and for teaching us so much. I have seen you grow little by little, and I'm so proud of the two incredible young men that the two of you have become, thank you so much for helping us reach the top. I have seen all of you pouring blood, sweat, and tears into this team, and I'm proud of all of you. I don't know what's going to happen in January, I don't know if we're going to reach the top or how far we're going to go. What I do know is, that if I'm going to reach my dream in January, then I want to do it with this team, with my little Volleyball family. Slowly but surely, our wings have started to heal and we're starting to spread our wings more and more everyday, now is time we fly higher and farther than before. Is time for the fallen warriors to rise again and fight, to become strong shields and spears that'll last through every battle ahead of us. Thank you to all of you for not letting the walls in front of you stop you. Thank you for making Karasuno strong enough to stand on that court, now is time to go beyond. I know I probably sound too cheesy right now, but I wanted to appreciate all of your efforts. So..."

Sawamura-san raised his cup of tea and the rest of them did the same. "Come on, guys. Say it with me."

"KARASUNO, FIGHT!" They shouted in unison and drank their tea. After that, the third and second years hugged Sawamura-san with tears in their eyes, telling him how much they appreciated him as a captain. Everyone was either crying or teary-eyed. Tobio looked to the side to composed himself and that's when he saw it.

At some point during Sawamura-san's speech, Older Hinata had come back, but no one had noticed him because he seemed to be hiding. The man was hiding behind the little plant at the entrance of their private room. He was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Tobio couldn't see his expression, the man was looking down and his bangs were covering his eyes and part of his face, the other part of his face was covered in shadows.

For some reason, the sight of him like that reminded Tobio of that day.

The day victory tasted bitter in his mouth and a Volleyball net separated him from the small boy. _What have you been doing for the past three years?_ Tobio remembers asking.

How long had he been standing there? How much of that speech did he heard?

Tobio was distracted from the sight by his teammates, who were asking for a picture. They had been doing that a lot today. Taking pictures, making memories. Tobio did a peace sign just like his teammates were doing and looked at the camera that Sensei brought with him. After the blindness of the flash passed, he looked to his side again but the man was gone.

They took more pictures and drank their tea, and talked amongst themselves about random things. Tobio was in the middle of a conversation with Hinata about the new jump that they almost got yesterday before they were sent home, when the doors to the room opened.

"Oi, Karasuno. Wanna watch a movie?" Older Hinata came back with a smile on his face. Tobio looked at the man and frowned. Did he imagine him earlier? No, Tobio was sure that he had been there. Then why...?

His teammates cheered at the mention of going to the cinema, excitedly talking about what movie they wanted to see. You could tell right away that it was going to be a heated topic, opinions seemed to be divided. In no time the team was ready to go. 

"Okay, you guys go to the bus, while I go pay for this," Older Hinata said and Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai shared a look.

"Shouyou-san, it's okay. We can pay for this," Takeda-sensei said, Older Hinata shook his head.

"Don't worry, I got it. You guys go on ahead," Older Hinata said and left. Coach Ukai tried to stop him but the older redhead ignored him.

"I thought his credit cards didn't work here?" Coach Ukai asked and Takeda-sensei looked down and then looked at Hinata.

"Sensei?" Hinata asked in confusion. Takeda-sensei sighed.

"He sold his wristwatch this morning, that's why he was late. Yesterday, I asked him if he had any clothes for today, he told me that he had a change of clothes in his gym bag, I didn't believe him, so he showed them to me. He also had a wristwatch with him. I don't know much about watches or fashion, but it was clear that it was a very expensive gold watch." Takeda-sensei explained and everyone gasped in surprise.

"And he sold it? Just like that?" Tanaka-san asked, some of the others seemed to be wondering the same thing.

"Well, it makes sense. He doesn't know for how long he's going to be here and he's going to need money so that probably seemed like a good idea at the time. Still, I hope he doesn't regret that choice in the future," Coach Ukai said and everyone nodded. After that they made their way to the bus.

"Well, looky here. If it isn't the little crows of Karasuno. What are Miyagi's _current_ champions doing here?" A voice asked from behind them before they could reach the bus. The whole team froze at that. Everyone recognized _that_ voice. In unison they turned and where met with the face of someone all of them where hoping not to see any time soon.

Oikawa-senpai.

" _Eek_ , it's the Great King," Hinata said, he immediately hide himself behind Tobio. Really? This guy challenged all of Shiratorizawa not once but _twice,_ but he's still afraid of Oikawa-senpai? What's up with that?

"Oikawa-senpai, what are you doing here?" Tobio asked in the most polite way he could muster right now. Which wasn't saying much, and it was clear that Oikawa-senpai noticed, if the annoyed look he threw Tobio's way was anything to go by.

Oikawa-senpai looked at him and then gestured to the people behind him. Tobio didn't know any of them, but the resemblance to Oikawa-senpai was uncanny. "Family gathering," Oikawa-senpai said to them and then turned to look at his relatives. "You can go on ahead. I'll be there in a minute," Oikawa-senpai said to his family and they nodded at him and left.

"So, I heard you won against Shiratorizawa, _congratulations_. I heard it was a good game," Oikawa-senpai said, but judging by the way he said it, it was very clear that he wasn't really happy about it. Sawamura-san planted a fake smile on his face nonetheless, and thanked him anyway.

"I heard all of you played hard, especially the two of you, the weird duo," Oikawa-senpai said and directed his look to Tobio and Hinata. The smaller boy made another noise and hide himself even more behind Tobio.

Seriously, what was he so afraid of? It was just Oikawa-senpai, the boy hadn't been this afraid of _Ushiwaka,_ but he was trembling at the sight of Tobio's annoying senpai.

Tobio got his answer when another familiar voice came from behind Oikawa-senpai. "Everything okay?" Older Hinata asked from behind Oikawa-senpai and Hinata made another weird sound.

Oh, _oh_.

So that's why he's so afraid.

The team stiffened at the sound of that voice.

What if Oikawa-senpai put two and two together? What would happen then? Would Older Hinata disappear?

Oikawa-senpai turned to look at Older Hinata with a smile, and probably fake words at the ready, but then his smile dropped and he did a double take, he looked Older Hinata up and down and then turned to look at Tobio again and tilted his head a little to the side to get a better look at Hinata, who was still hiding behind Tobio. Oikawa-senpai looked between the two redheads again.

"You two related or something?" Oikawa-senpai asked. Tobio heard Hinata murmur ' _or_ _something_ ' under his breath but thankfully Oikawa-senpai didn't heard him.

"He's my little brother," Older Hinata said and Tobio was glad that Oikawa-senpai decided to turn to look at the older man at that exact moment, because that way he couldn't see the surprise reactions of Karasuno. Those looks would've probably given everything away in just a moment. Also, what happened to kicking Hinata's ass if he ever called him _Nii-chan_?

"Oh, I see. I didn't know Chibi-chan had an older brother, I have never seen you in one of his games," Oikawa-senpai said casually, but a little guarded, clearly trying to fish for more details. It was clear he still didn't believe the older man completely. Karasuno held their breaths.

"I was overseas, I just came back," Older Hinata said, Oikawa-senpai seemed to believe him. Karasuno released the breaths they were holding.

_What a smooth liar._

"Is that so? That explains the tanned skin, then," Oikawa-senpai said, he was still looking at the man searchingly. "You play Volleyball, too?" Oikawa-senpai asked, Hinata made another weird noise behind Tobio.

"Sometimes," Older Hinata said, Oikawa-senpai's eyes sparkled in interest. "Oh, really? What position do you play?" He asked with a little challenge in his voice.

"Setter," Older Hinata responded with a little smirk, Oikawa-senpai's smile dropped all of sudden. This time, Tobio also made that weird sound alongside Hinata. Oikawa-senpai heard them this time, and he turned to look at the two of them. He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Oh my, if you can make Tobio-chan look like _that,_ then you must be really good," Oikawa-senpai said and Tobio scowled. Look like _what_? He didn't look like anything, thank you very much. Tobio was about ready to give Oikawa-senpai a little piece of his mind, but then the arrogant teen said something that made the whole team freeze in their places.

"We should play some time," Oikawa-senpai said to Older Hinata, giving the older redhead his famous - and _annoying -_ wink and peace sign, tongue sticking out and all. Older Hinata didn't react at all, he just looked at Oikawa-senpai and said, "Sure."

"Wait, what?" Tobio and the rest of Karasuno asked in surprise.

"Wait, Hinata-san. This is..." Coach Ukai tried to explain but he was interrupted by Hinata's little outburst.

" _Nii-chan_ , you can't play with him. Don't you know who he is? _He's the Great King!"_ Hinata shouted, finally coming out of his hiding spot behind Tobio, and he went to stand between his older self and Oikawa-senpai.

"I know who he is, Shouyou," Older Hinata said. Oikawa-senpai's eyes sparkled in interest again. "Oh. So, you have heard about me. All good things I hope," Oikawa-senpai said and turned to look at Hinata with a dark look on his face. Hinata shivered and immediately went to hide himself behind his older self. Hinata's older self looked as cool as a cucumber, the difference between the two couldn't be more obvious.

"Please don't scare him," Older Hinata said and dragged Hinata out of his hiding place. Oikawa-senpai sighed and nodded, then he turned to look at Tobio and the others. "Well, you made it this far, Karasuno. Don't disappoint us now, you're going to be representing all of us, you know. Don't make us regret our lost more than we already do. Break a leg or something," Oikawa-senpai said with an intense look on his eyes, then he turned around. "See you around, Hinata-san," he said to the older redhead and started to walk away. Karasuno seemed to breathe more easily at the sight of his retreating back.

"Oikawa-san," Older Hinata suddenly said and the team stiffened.

"Yes? You know my name?" Oikawa-senpai asked as he turned around to face them again. Older Hinata turned towards him. "What would you have done?"

"Huh?"

"If you have gone to Nationals, what would you have done?" Older Hinata asked and everyone looked at him in surprise.

Oikawa-senpai looked at them, and then at Older Hinata with a weird look on his face and eyes, Tobio braced himself for Oikawa-senpai's ' _Baka_ ' reaction that he always did whenever someone he considered annoying asked him a question.

But then, Oikawa-senpai stopped himself, he looked Older Hinata straight in the eyes, a moment seemed to have passed between the two of them, then Oikawa-senpai smiled, a smile that none of them had seen before.

"I'll give it my best and then some. I'll try to support my teammates and bring the best out of everyone. But most importantly, I'll try to have fun and give my teammates the best experience of their lives whether we win or lose. If we don't come back home as champions, then at least I'll try to come home with no regrets. Volleyball is fun, that's why we all started to play, and I'll try to make sure no one forgets that, not on my watch," Oikawa-senpai said to the surprise of everyone there. Older Hinata smiled at him and said something Tobio didn't understand, but that Oikawa-senpai seemed to understand for some reason, he looked a little surprised, but he smiled anyway.

"Thanks, and I was serious, you know. We should play sometime," Oikawa-senpai said and Older Hinata smiled at him. "Oh, I'm sure we will."

"You think you can beat me, don't you?" Oikawa-senpai asked, the challenging tone was back in his voice. Older Hinata smirked. "Oh, you'll be eating sand."

"Don't you mean dirt?" Oikawa-senpai asked in confusion, but Older Hinata just laughed and waved him goodbye and started to walk away, Oikawa-senpai huffed in annoyance and finally left. This time Karasuno breathed a big sigh of relief.

Hinata looked between their retreating backs in confusion, and then looked straight at Tobio. "What just happened?" Hinata asked and Tobio shrugged, he was still surprised at Oikawa-senpai's response. "I'm not sure."

"Come on, Karasuno. We have a movie to watch," Older Hinata shouted at them from inside the bus, he was already seated in the driver's seat. At the mention of the movie, everyone hurried inside.

"Shouyou-san, why did you asked the Great King that?" Hinata asked once they were already seated, Older Hinata hummed.

"Dunno. I just wanted to know, I guess. You know, it's actually a shame Oikawa-san never went to Nationals, he would've so much fun there," Older Hinata said and everyone looked a little surprised at that, especially because he referred to him as _Oikawa-san_ and not as the _Great King_. 

When did he stop being the Great King?

"I think a part of me still thinks of him as the Great King, I still think he's awesome, you know. But I stopped referring to him like that a long time ago," Older Hinata said and Tobio blushed in embarrassment, he hadn't meant to ask that aloud.

In no time, the talk about Oikawa-senpai was put aside, and the debate of what movie they were going to watch continued until they reached the place Shouyou-san was taking them next. Before they left the bus, they decided to watch a sports comedy that everyone seemed a little curious about, it was about Volleyball, after all. Older Hinata bought the tickets, and everyone bought some snacks and drinks for themselves, and they started to look for the correct room where the movie was going to be showing.

Halfway through the movie, Older Hinata left, saying he needed to go to the restroom. After a few minutes, Tobio also excused himself, the movie was so inaccurate, and it was pissing him off to no end. The actor that was playing as setter clearly didn't know anything about Volleyball, he was nothing more but a pretty and famous face. Tobio huffed in annoyance and headed for the restroom.

To be honest, Tobio wasn't surprised at what he saw. Older Hinata was sitting on a bench on the hallway near the restrooms fumbling with something that Tobio assumed was a smartphone from his time. What a weird design that was. Tobio sighed and sat besides the man, Older Hinata did something to his phone when he noticed him and his screen went black, but not before Tobio saw what the man had been looking at.

A picture.

A picture of a beautiful young couple and what seemed to be their baby. Tobio didn't recognize them, but he was sure that they were people important to Older Hinata, if the look on his face and eyes was anything to go by. He probably misses them so much, his friends, his family, and everyone else in his life. This must be really hard for him.

"Hello," Tobio said and Older Hinata looked at him in surprise. "Don't look so surprised."

"Sorry, hello."

"Listen, I don't like you."

"I'm aware."

"I don't trust you."

"I noticed."

"You're too different from _him_ and it's weird."

"I know that."

"But I need your help."

"Okay... wait, what?"

Tobio sighed and rolled his eyes at the older man. "You heard me. I'm not going to repeat myself."

"Okay, okay. What do you need my help with?" Older Hinata asked and Tobio sighed. "What do people mean when they call someone a Goody-Two-Shoes?"

Older Hinata looked at him and then hummed. "Miya Atsumu, right?" He asked and turned to look at the ceiling. Tobio was surprised, but he guessed that older him had told Hinata about that at some point. "Yeah."

"Well, normally, it is an insult, and knowing him, he probably meant it that way. Look, being a Goody-Two-Shoes is not actually a bad thing. It means that you're good and friendly. That you try to help others and make everyone feel at ease. It means you're a good guy that plays by the rules, but I gotta admit that many people don't see it that way, and that's when they use it as an insult," the older man explained and Tobio nodded.

"And as an insult? What does that mean?" Tobio asked and the older man looked at him and sighed. "To say it in an easy way for you to understand. It means that you like to kiss people's ass. That you don't take any risks, that you're afraid to try new stuff. That you're a perfectionist, someone who only does what they know is going to work. Among other things, but you get it."

"Yeah, I get it," Tobio said and looked to the side. So that's what he meant? Was he really like that?

"Kageyama-kun," Older Hinata said and Tobio turned to look at him. "I do remember this, you know. _The Return of the King,_ " Older Hinata said, as if it was the title of a movie or something.

"The team is trying to grow, and if you can help them, then they're not going to push you away or anything like that. They're going to listen to you, if you have something to say, of course. They want to improve, to become better, stronger, so that they can win and reach the top. They're waiting for you, Kageyama-kun. You're not going to be rejected, on the contrary. You should talk to them."

"What should I say?"

"The truth, but in a polite way, of course. If you think there's a way for Nishinoya-san to improve his receives, or for Tanaka-san to become a better spiker, then tell them, I'm sure they're going to listen to you. If they think that they can do it, then they'll listen to you, and they're going to try to apply whatever you suggested, and if they don't like it, then they won't listen to you and be done with it, it's that simple. Don't be afraid, they won't kick you out of the team or anything like that, there's nothing wrong with being the King, you know. Your old teammates couldn't handle you, but Karasuno is strong, and you're a part of Karasuno now. Forget what you were before, and don't think about what you're going to become in the future, either. Think about the here and now. You're Karasuno's setter, Kageyama-kun. _Act_ _like it,_ " The man said with a little bit of a challenge in his voice and eyes.

 _Who are you?_ Tobio wanted to ask. _When did you became like this? What happened to_ _you?_

"I personally never thought that you being the King was a bad thing. The little nickname is cool, and I never thought of it as you being self-centered, or arrogant, or anything like that. I always thought of the nickname meaning that you were really, really good. Setters are the control tower of the team, the rulers of the court. So don't be afraid of that name, you're an extremely good setter Kageyama, don't be afraid to show _that_ to the whole world. Stand on that court and make it yours, show all of Japan and the rest of the world what you can do, what you're made of. You want to play Volleyball professionally, don't you? Then start knocking on the big doors. Look at Oikawa-san, he never got that opportunity, _but you do_ , don't let that go to waste or you'll regret it." Older Hinata gave him an intense look and Tobio turned away from him.

Older Hinata overwhelms him. The man radiates confidence in and off the court. He's no longer that timid small teen that hides behind Tobio when something scares him, he's no longer that clumsy little kid who loves to eat meat buns and teases Tobio all the time. The one who challenges stronger players all the time and gives everything on the court just to prove that he's right. This Hinata is older, calmer, wiser. He's more experienced, mature, and somehow bigger in a way that Tobio couldn't describe. He's not just different from his younger self physically, but personality wise too. It doesn't matter what Tobio would do or say, he'll never rise to the challenge, he's not that childish anymore. Tobio doesn't understand this Hinata, he's like a complete stranger to him, that was probably why Tobio found it so easy to talk to him. Tobio sighed and turned to look at the man again.

"Would you like to listen to some of my ideas? For the team, I mean," Tobio said and Older Hinata smiled at him and nodded.

"Sure, let's hear them. Maybe I can help too." So Tobio started to talk and Older Hinata listened to him, pointing some things here or there. Some things Tobio understood immediately, and some were completely new things for him, but it sounded like something that'll work for the team. So little by little, his worries started to subside and his head started to fill with a bunch of new Volleyball ideas. Maybe, Older Hinata was right and being the _King of the Court_ wasn't so bad.

The others found them after a while, Tobio's teammates were talking about how inaccurate but funny the movie had been. Tobio noticed that Sawamura-san and Sugawara-san shared a look at the sight of him talking to Older Hinata. Coach Ukai also noticed and smiled at him, a little bit of tension started to disappear from his shoulders.

So, they were worried about him, huh? Had it really been that bad? He'll talk to them tomorrow, then.

"Well, it seems like the movie finished just in time. It's time for the last surprise of the day. Follow me, Karasuno," Older Hinata said and everyone nodded and after a little bathroom break they headed for the bus.

The last surprise for the day turned out to be a hot spring with a spa where they were spoiled rotten, and a healthy and delicious dinner. After that they were dropped home, before they left, Tobio noticed that Sugawara-san and Sawamura-san, gave a piece of paper to Coach Ukai. They said something about it being the notes from yesterday's practice.

That gave Tobio an idea, and once he got home, he started to write his own notes to give to Coach Ukai. Tobio remembers his senpai's words. The team with the stronger six is always the better one, and Tobio's team will reach the top, no matter what. Tobio would make sure of it.

* * *

Keishin looked at the entrance of the gym and sighed, he hopes that today wasn't as disastrous as Saturday had been. He braced himself and opened the doors.

The guys were all already there doing their stretches, Shimizu-san and Yachi-san were also there, talking about a new project for the team. The only ones missing were Sensei and Older Hinata. "Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, Coach."

"How's everyone doing today?"

"Good, sir. And you?"

"I'm doing great, thank you. Well, you know what to do, finish your stretches and go for a run. We're gonna do some serve practice after you guys come back," Keishin said and the team nodded.

Keishin sat down and looked at the notes he had finished yesterday after going through the notes that Sugawara and Daichi gave him. The two of them had great observation skills and experience in the sport so their input helped Keishin a lot, he had finished his new training plan yesterday after he got home.

Yesterday had been a complete surprise, but a welcome one nonetheless. Keishin was glad that Older Hinata did what he did, the team needed a day off to just relax and bond. Tensions and worries had been high around here lately. Keishin was glad that yesterday his students seemed to put everything aside and just enjoyed themselves for once.

Once in a while, they needed to remember that they're still kids and need to enjoy life a little. There would come a time where they couldn't do that anymore, and they would missed being young so much.

Keishin heard the doors to the gym opening and turned to see who it was. Sensei walked in and greeted the team, everyone greeted him back. Once Keishin realized that Sensei was alone, he looked in the direction of Young Hinata and saw how the face of the small boy fell, Keishin turned to look at Takeda-sensei again and gave him a small signal towards the small boy.

Sensei's eyes widened and he quickly grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket and walked towards Young Hinata. "Shouyou-san went for a run this morning and left this for you, Hinata-kun," Sensei said while giving the small boy the neatly folded note, at the sight of the paper and the mention of his older self, Young Hinata smiled and took the paper.

"Well, what does it say?" Nishinoya and Tanaka asked, Daichi reprimanded them, but Young Hinata cleared his throat and started reading the note aloud anyway.

"' _Hey, kiddo. Good morning. I just wanted to let you know that I'm not going to go to your morning practice today, I have to go buy some things I might need while I'm around here, but I'll make sure to be there for your afternoon practice, I hope it doesn't bother anyone. Have a nice day'._ That's what the note says," Young Hinata said and the team smiled.

"Of course he can come see us, what's up with him?" Tanaka asked and his teammates nodded in agreement.

"Well, anyway, let's go, guys," Daichi said and the team got ready and left for their morning run.

"Sensei, do you have time? I need to show you something," Keishin asked and Takeda-sensei nodded at him. "Yes, what is it?"

"Here are the ideas I was talking about yesterday, I need you to give them a look," Keishin said while offering the papers to the man. Sensei nodded and took the papers, he sat down and started reading, asking some questions here and there.

Once the guys came from their morning run, they started practicing their serves, and Nishinoya started practicing his receives. Keishin could see that Kageyama looked a little bit more relaxed today. Keishin was glad for that, it seemed that whatever talk he had yesterday with Older Hinata had helped him a lot.

The rest of the team looked more relaxed too, some were even trying to do new things. Always evolving. Keishin smiled, now those were his students.

Soon, it was time to end morning practice, Keishin called Daichi and Sugawara while the rest of the team cleaned the gym. "You called us, Coach?" Daichi asked and Keishin nodded. 

"Yeah. Do the two of you have free time during the day? I need to discuss something with you." Daichi and Sugawara shared a look, then they seemed to silently come to an agreement.

"We can meet you during lunch, if that's okay with you," Daichi said and Keishin nodded.

"That's okay, just make sure to come alone," Keishin said and the two of them nodded at him and rejoined their teammates.

Keishin was surprised when Kageyama came to talk to him once he was done cleaning. "Coach Ukai?" The young man said, he seemed a little nervously.

"Yes, Kageyama?"

"I'm not really good with words, but I thought of a few things last night, and I wanted to ask you if you could give them a look, if it's okay with you, of course," Kageyama said and presented a neatly folded piece of paper to him.

Keishin took it with a reassuring smile. "Of course, I can give them a look, thank you for cooperating with us. I'm sure you learned a lot during your training camp, and I'm glad you're sharing a little bit of that knowledge with us," Keishin said and Kageyama thanked him again and left after he heard Hinata calling his name.

Keishin turned to look at Sensei, who also looked a little surprised. "Seems like I have more homework to do."

After going through the notes of Saturday's practice, the Captains' notes and Kageyama's new ideas, Keishin had everything ready. Shimizu-san also informed him that she and Yachi-san were working on something that apparently will be ready in a few days. She didn't told him what it was, though. Keishin sighed and opened a new project on his computer and started to write everything down.

Takeda-sensei helped him with the printing and organization of the papers, and by the time that Sugawara and Daichi came to look for them, there were two little stacks of papers waiting for them at the table. Sugawara and Daichi shared a look and sat down and started reading, eyes getting wider and wider with every page. Once they were done they put their papers down and looked at the two of them in surprise.

"Well? What do you guys think?" Keishin asked.

"This is..." Sugawara started to say.

"A little crazy," Daichi finished.

"Are you sure about this, Coach?" The two asked in unison.

"Of course I am."

"But, what brought this on?" Daichi asked.

"Well, mostly Shouyou-san. Something he said kept bothering me, and I came up with a theory. If I'm right, then I want to be prepare for it. But if I'm not, then it doesn't hurt to learn it, right?" Keishin said and Sugawara and Daichi shared another look.

"Well, we're okay with it, but are you sure that the rest of the team is going to agree with this?" Daichi asked and Keishin thought about it.

No, they probably won't, not at first anyway. That's why he had an explanation ready.

"Don't worry about it, leave that to me," Keishin said and his students nodded. "Well, is there anything you guys would like to add to the plans before we meet with the team?"

Daichi and Sugawara nodded and started making a few notes in the papers before they left. Well, it seems like he has to do this all over again. Keishin sighed as Sensei passed him the laptop again.

For the second time that day, Keishin found himself in front of the gym doors and sighed, _here goes nothing_.

Once again he found everyone already there, with the exception of Shouyou-san, that was good, Keishin didn't want to see the man's reaction when he heard what Keishin was about to say. The guys stopped doing their stretches when they noticed the entrance of him and Sensei. Keishin could see the curious looks they were sending him when they noticed the stacks of papers that he and Sensei were carrying. Keishin cleared his throat. "Meeting time, everyone."

Keishin headed for the bench alongside Takeda-sensei. Shimizu-san and Yachi-san were already there. That means that, they just needed to wait for the guys to take a seat. Once everyone was sitting on the floor, Keishin stood up.

"Okay, after seeing how things were on Saturday, I came up with a few ideas and a new training plan for you guys was formed, but before I give that to you, I'm personally going to tell you one of the most crazy things you're going to find in those papers. Kageyama, Hinata, can the two of you come here for a second, please."

The mentioned boys shared a look and stood up, they walked towards him, once they reached him, Keishin asked them to face the group, he put a hand on each of their shoulders, the two boys flinched. "Starting today, all of you guys, with no exceptions, are going to learn how to block and receive the famous attack of our famous little duo."

And in five...

Four...

Three...

Two...

"WHAT?!"

And there it is.

"Settle down and listen," Keishin said, he was glad that he had talked with Sugawara and Daichi before doing this, because the two helped a lot in calming the panicked reactions of his students.

"Shouyou-san actually gave us a lot of clues, I might be wrong so don't take my word for it but," Keishin stopped there and he summoned the most serious look he could muster and looked straight at his students. "There might be someone at Nationals that can do that attack too," Keishin finished and waited for the shock to wear down a little bit.

Kageyama and Hinata were as still as statues under his hands, and even Sugawara and Daichi looked shocked. Keishin told them his plans, but he didn't told them the reason of why he came up with them.

Daichi wasn't the Captain for nothing, he seemed to be the one to recover first. "You really think so, Coach?"

"Yes, like I said, Shouyou-san actually gave me a lot of clues, while intentionally or not."

"What clues?" The mentioned man suddenly asked from the entrance of the room and everyone flinched. When did he get here? And why didn't he make any sound? What was he? A Ninja or something?

The older man looked at all of them and seemed to read the atmosphere in a second. "Am I interrupting something? I can come back later if you want," Older Hinata said and Keishin shook his head. "No, it's okay. You can stay."

"Are you sure? You guys seem a little spooked. Is something wrong?" Older Hinata asked and in a flash Young Hinata and Kageyama were in front of the man.

"Is there someone at Nationals that can do our quick?" The two asked in unison. The older redhead looked at them in surprise.

"Wait, guys. _Stop_!" Daichi said, he seemed about ready to reprimand them, but Older Hinata's next words froze him in place.

"Yeah, there is."

Kageyama and Young Hinata fell to the floor like the dramatic Volleyball Kings that they are.

"There is someone..."

"Who can do..."

"Our quick..."

"Well, would you look at that, it seems like our special little duo isn't so special anymore." Tsukishima said with a smirk.

" _Tsukki,_ " Yamaguchi whisper shouted. " _Not now_."

"Oh, come on, you two. I'm sure it won't be that bad," Sugawara said, clearly trying to console the boys.

"Yeah, didn't you hear what Coach Ukai said? I'm gonna learn how to receive one of those. Cool, I always wanted to do that," Nishinoya said.

"And the rest of us are going to learn how to block that attack, we're about to become _Karasuno's Iron Wall_. The other guys won't even know what hit them," Tanaka said.

"I also always wanted to block one of those, seems like I'll finally get to. That'll be fun," Tsukishima said with a smirk and a dark look on his face and eyes.

"Guys, stop. I think you're making it worse," Daichi said once he noticed that Hinata and Kageyama shivered in fear.

"Receive..."

"Block..."

"Our quick..."

"Oh, stop being so dramatic! You have been blocked before. What's the big deal? Are you really that afraid of the Freak Duo 2.0?" Tsukishima asked with a sneer, and that seemed to snap the two boys out of their little depression. They stood up with determined looks on their faces. "Of course not, we're going to win!" The two said in unison.

"Aaannnd they're back," Sugawara said with a grin. The team breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the two, glad that they were back to normal.

"I'll do it," Older Hinata suddenly said to the surprise of everyone there. They all turned to look at him in surprise and noticed that he was still standing near the door.

"You'll do what, Shouyou-san?" Young Hinata asked his older self in confusion.

"I'll become your coach," Older Hinata said and everyone froze. "I won't promise to take you to the top, but I promise to get you far enough. If you'll still have me, that is." 

The gym got very quiet all of a sudden, if a pin dropped right now, it'll probably sound like a bomb. The shock started to wear down after a minute or two, and the team blinked once, twice.

And then...

"Shouyou-san!" The team shouted in excitement and started to celebrate, but Older Hinata raised a hand to placate them.

"Not so fast," he said and the team stiffened. "I'll do it under _one_ condition," he said and raised one finger.

"Which one?" The team asked in unison. The man looked at all of them, he then sighed and started walking towards his younger self. Once he reached Young Hinata the older readhead leaned down and whispered something in Young Hinata's ear.

Keishin saw how all the color seemed to have drained from Young Hinata's face and how his eyes widened in surprise. Older Hinata raised his head and stared intensely at his younger self, but Young Hinata ignored him, he seemed very busy trying to do his best fish impersonation at the moment.

Kageyama looked between the two redheads and grabbed Young Hinata and started shaking him. "What? What did he ask you? Boke, what did he said?" Kageyama asked while shaking Young Hinata.

"Boke!" Kageyama shouted right in Young Hinata's face, that finally seemed to get a reaction out of him, he whispered something that the others couldn't hear, but that Kageyama seemed to, if his reaction was anything to go by.

"WHAT?!" Kageyama shouted, shock evident all over his face.

The team started to panic, Keishin sighed and pinched his nose, this was going to be a very long afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QOTD: What is Shouyou-san's condition? Would Hinata and the team accept? Find out next chapter!
> 
> Alright, QUESTIONS and EXPLANATIONS!
> 
> 1) - So something was bothering me, and I checked the manga and realized that I made a mistake. Since the training camps that my nieces tend to go to are from Monday - Friday, sometimes even until Saturday. I assumed that it had been the same for them, but no, it wasn't. Their camps started on a Wednesday, so Hinata and Kageyama had their reunion on a Monday. So for the sake of this story, let's assume that their camps were from Monday - Friday, and that the boys had their reunion on Saturday December 8, instead of Monday December 10, because otherwise, that wouldn't make sense for the plot of this story, okay? Okay. So Older Hinata showed up on the 8, their day off was on the 9, and today's chapter ended up on Monday December 10, got it? Good.
> 
> 2) - So, Oikawa had a cameo. I know some people don't like him, manly anime only fans, but there's a reason why he showed up. It'll be explained next chapter. What did Shouyou-san said to him? He wished him good luck on his new journey but in Spanish, that's why Kageyama didn't understand, but Oikawa did. I assumed he must be learning the language if he wants to go 'there'. Also yes, canon Hinata knows Spanish, he learned Portuguese, English and Spanish in Brazil.
> 
> 3) - What picture had Shouyou-san been looking at when Kageyama found him? It was a picture of Heitor, Nice and their baby. That's why Kageyama didn't recognize them. Shouyou-san was also looking at other pictures of his friends and family and yes, he heard all of Daichi's speech.
> 
> I think that's about it, if you have anymore questions then throw them in the comments, don't be shy.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter, have an awesome day. Stay safe and healthy, wear a mask, don't go out if you don't have to, take care and I'll write to you guys later, bye. :)


	5. Lost and Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shouyou-san explains some things. Young Hinata and Kageyama have a talk.
> 
> *WARNING, CHAPTER IS FULL OF SPOILERS*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone. I'm back, sorry this update took a little more than the others, some family friends passed away and I really wasn't in the right mind to write this. I'm not actually completely satisfied with the results but I wanted to put the chapter out anyway. Hope it doesn't disappoint.
> 
> Anime only fans or people who haven't completed the manga, this chapter is full of spoilers, as a matter of fact, from this point on, the story is going to be full of spoilers, so if you don't want to get spoiled, then with a heavy heart, I kindly ask you to please drop this story, because I don't want people coming at me all angry about being spoiled when I actually did warned you. You're the ones who didn't listened or in this case, read. Trust me, it has happened before, and I don't want it to happen again, so if you don't want to get spoiled here and there, please drop this story now. I hope that didn't come out as rude, I'm doing this for your own good, guys.
> 
> Once again, English is not my first language and I also don't have a beta, so feel free to point any mistakes out, I won't get mad. Once again, sorry this took so long.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!
> 
> *WARNING, CHAPTER IS FULL OF SPOILERS*

**_Monday, December 10, 2012_ **

The date kept flashing in Shouyou's eyes as he ran.

_**Monday** _

Two days ago, it had been a Tuesday.

_**December** _

Two days ago, it had been September.

** _10_ **

Two days ago, it had been the 13th.

**_ 2012 _ **

Two days ago, it had been the year **_2022_**

Shouyou was in _Miyagi_.

Two days ago, he was in _São Paulo_.

Shouyou was in _Japan._

Two days ago, he was in _Brazil_.

Two days ago, he headed for the gym to practice with _ASAS São Paulo,_ but he ended up in _Karasuno_ instead.

**_ Ten years. _ **

Shouyou somehow traveled ten years to the past.

 _His_ past.

How?

Why?

He didn't know.

Shouyou kept it together in front of Karasuno. That night he went to sleep wishing that everything was a dream, that he'll wake up in his apartment in São Paulo. He'll do his morning routine, then he'll be on his way to the gym, his teammates would greet him warmly, and they'll play Volleyball together until Coach Paulo had enough of them and asked them to go home.

Then he'll go home and do his duties and text his friends and family, and before going to bed, he would laugh about what a crazy dream he had the night before.

But none of that happened, he woke up in a small room that he didn't recognize, and he had been so cold. Where was that Brazilian sun that Shouyou was so used to? Where was that Brazilian warm? Japan was so cold. Colder than he remembered.

Yesterday during his morning run he finally lost it and freaked out. He had tried everything.

Texts messages.

Phone calls.

Video calls.

Emails.

Social Media.

None of it worked.

His friends and family never responded. He had tried using his credit cards too. Maybe if Kenma noticed something weird in his bank account he'll check it out, but no, that hadn't worked either. _Declined_ , the screen had said.

Shouyou didn't know how to get back home. He didn't even know how he got here in the first place. A part of him wanted to take a plane straight to Brazil, but something in him told him that it wasn't going to work. Something told him that he needed to stay here in Miyagi.

There was something about his younger self that pulled him in. Little Shouyou was well, _little_. He was so small and fragile, seeing him had been quite the shock for him. Shouyou doesn't remember being that small or skinny. No wonder people never took him seriously while growing up, he was so, so _small_. Seeing Little Shouyou like that reminded him so much of Natsu that it was no wonder his big brother instincts had kicked in immediately.

There was also the fact that Little Shouyou was so clingy. Shouyou didn't understand that behavior, but he guessed it was kind of like the same thing that pulled him towards his younger self. Something that told them that they needed to stay together, at least for now. Shouyou didn't know what it was but he understood something, Shouyou was needed here.

But why?

Shouyou shook his head and kept running, he had many things to do right now, all those questions could wait. It's not like he's going to find any answers, anyway.

Shouyou finished his run and came back to Takeda-sensei's apartment and took a shower and prepared some healthy breakfast for himself. He cleaned after himself and checked the time. Some stores would probably be open by now, Shouyou sighed and grabbed his wallet and phone, a spare key that Takeda-sensei gave him, and a borrowed jacket. The change in climate and timezones was still bothering him, but he'll get used to it, it wouldn't be the first time, after all.

After checking that the apartment was locked correctly, he headed straight to the nearest shopping district. Shouyou had earned a pretty penny after selling his watch yesterday, he didn't want to do it, but he had to. It had been a birthday gift from Kenma. Shouyou sighed. _S_ _orry Kenma, I'll pay you_ _later, I promise_.

First of all, he needed a means of transportation, so the first thing he needed to buy was a bike, and he knew where to get one. Shouyou had met the kind old man during his second year of High School, after suffering a weird accident with his old bike, thankfully his little accident happened near the old man's store, and the kind old man had helped him fixed his old bike in no time, after that time, every time his old bike needed a repair, he'll bring it to the old man who would fix it in record time.

Of course, the old man didn't know him now, but Shouyou was already familiar with the little store. Once Shouyou got to the store, he smiled and greeted the old couple that owned the store, and then he started looking around for a new bike.

After getting a new bike, Shouyou headed for the nearest drugstore. Takeda-sensei had been kind enough to let him borrow some travel sized toiletries that he had stored in his bathroom cabinet, but it was time that Shouyou got his own. Shouyou bought some toiletries, a first aid kit and some medicine that he might need. Hanging around Omi-san had made Shouyou a little paranoid of all the things that could go wrong, especially around winter time.

Shouyou sighed and checked the time again. Some clothing stores were going to be opening soon, Shouyou headed back to Takeda-sensei's apartment to drop his purchases there and after that, he headed straight for the nearest clothing store.

After buying some clothes, a pair of shoes, and some groceries, Shouyou headed back to the apartment and started making lunch. He had been cheating for the past few days, but it was time that he remembered that he's an athlete, and that it didn't matter in what country or year Shouyou was at, he had to follow a diet no matter what.

It's just that, he really had missed Japanese food. Japanese food didn't taste the same in Brazil, even if Shouyou cooked it himself, the taste just wasn't the same, it didn't matter what Shouyou tried, or how many times he had read the recipe, something was always missing in the taste. But every time that Shouyou complained about it, his mom only laughed at him.

After Shouyou finished eating and cleaned after himself, he tried once again to reach out to his friends and family to no avail. It didn't matter what or who he tried, his messages and calls just never went through.

Why was he here?

Shouyou grabbed his phone again and started going through his gallery. He misses everyone.

Karasuno made him an offer on Saturday, and Shouyou wasn't going to lie a part of him was tempted to take it, but...

What would happen if he does?

What would happen to all the people that Sawamura-san has saved as a policeman if something happened and he never became one?

What would happen to all the kids that Sugawara-san has inspired and taken care of? All the kids he has probably saved from bullying or family abuse. If Sugawara-san never became a teacher, what would happen to those kids?

And what about Azumane-san, would he become so successful if his career path changed? Would he be happy?

What about Nishinoya-san? Would he be happy if he never started traveling the world? If something changed, would he still feel free?

What about Tanaka-san and Shimizu-san? What would happen to their marriage? To their careers? If Shouyou intervened, would there still be a wedding? Would they be happy?

What about Yachi-san, Yamaguchi, and Tsukishima? What would happen to their lives? Would they still be as successful and happy as before?

And what about Kageyama? What would happen if he never went pro? Or if he never joined the Adlers or went to Italy? Would he be happy with another career? Or with other teams?

What would happen to Natsu? What would happen to his mom?

What about Ennoshita-san, Narita-san, or Kinoshita-san? What would happen to their lives?

What would happen to Kenma, Kuroo, Lev, Yaku, and the rest of Nekoma?

Or to Date Tech?

To Seijoh?

Shiratorizawa?

Inarizaki?

Fukurodani?

Itachiyama?

Kamomedai?

And the rest of them.

What would happen to their lives and careers?

And what about Little Shouyou?

What if he never went to Brazil?

What would happen to Pedro? What if he never got out of his shell if Shouyou wasn't there to push him?

What about Heitor? Would he quit Beach Volleyball if Shouyou wasn't there to be his partner?

What about Nice? Would she get married to Heitor? And what about their baby? Shouyou loves that tiny little human, would he still be there once he finds a way to go home? His little nephew could disappear in the blink of an eye and is going to be his fault.

What about 'Tsumu, Bokuto-san, Omi-san, Meian-san, Inunaki-san, and the rest of his Black Jackals family? Would they still be his family?

What about Coach Paulo, Guilherme, Thiago, Tomás, and the rest of his São Paulo family? Would they still consider Shouyou a part of their family?

Shouyou has so much to lose, his friends and family have so much to lose. The timeline couldn't change, but that was the problem, wasn't it? The timeline was already changing.

Many things have happened that didn't happen before. That practice match, the trip yesterday, Daichi-san's speech, the talk with Little Kageyama, the encounter with Oikawa-san.

Shouyou wanted to laugh at that last one, that was just his life, wasn't it? First Brazil, and now here. It seems like every time Shouyou is starting to doubt himself, Oikawa-san appears with words that change his views on the matter.

_Come home with no regrets._

Once upon a time, Shouyou had come home with many regrets. He came home with a mind full of _what if's_ and _should've's,_ and with a heart full of guilt and regret.

It didn't matter how many years have passed, Shouyou still blamed himself for what happened.

Sure, maybe they hadn't expected to win it all, but there were good loses and bad loses. Shiratorizawa, Inarizaki, and Nekoma, were big examples that even the defeated ones could walk away as champions if you only gave it your all.

Karasuno poured blood, sweat, and tears into that court, but their lost was still a bad one, and Shouyou blamed himself for it.

What did he said to Little Kageyama yesterday? _Think about the here and now._

Shouyou has a chance to erase his past mistakes, but what would happen if he does that? Would he be erasing his future victories too? Just what would happen to his whole life? What if he erases all of it?

Shouyou doesn't know what to do.

Why was he here? What's his purpose here? What should he do? Does he even have a home to come back to? Is he even able to come back? Is he stuck here forever? Should he abandon his old life and start a new one here? But what if that light comes again? What would happen then?

_Think about the here and now._

_Come home with no regrets._

Once upon a time, he came home with many regrets and guilt, but what about now? If he goes home now, would he have any regrets? Would he feel guilty?

The answer was a big fat _yes_. There was no doubt about that. Shouyou has a chance and the skills to help them, maybe they won't reach the top, but Shouyou can get them far enough.

_Think about the here and now._

_Come home with no regrets._

_If I'm going to reach the top, then I want to do it with this team._

_My little Volleyball family._

_Give my teammates the best experience of their lives whether we win or lose._

Shouyou looked at the clock and sighed. It was time to go.

**_I'm sorry, everyone._ **

**_I love all of you with all my heart but I have to do this._ **

**_Please, forgive me._ **

* * *

Daichi looked between Young Hinata and Kageyama, and he noticed that the color had drained from both of their faces, Kageyama was clutching Young Hinata's shoulders so hard, that Daichi was sure that the young man is going to have bruises there tomorrow, whatever Shouyou-san asked Young Hinata, had caused extreme shock to the two boys.

Daichi sighed and once again tried to stop the panic that was slowly consuming his teammates.

With the help of Suga and Coach Ukai, Daichi managed to stop his panicked teammates from doing anything reckless, Noya and Tanaka had been the most affected with the reactions of Kageyama and Young Hinata, they had tried to shake the boys out of their shock, but the two boys were unresponsive, lost in their little world.

Coach Ukai had finally intervened went he noticed that Noya and Tanaka were about ready to tackle Older Hinata to the floor and make him confess whatever he had said to Young Hinata.

After his teammates finally settled down, Daichi turned his attention to Older Hinata, he was still standing near the entrance to the gym with his bag in hand. He was quietly looking at the two boys, there was no hint of surprise in his face at all, he had definitely expected that reaction.

Daichi cleared his throat and got closer to the man. "Shouyou-san, what did you asked him?" Daichi asked, Shouyou-san turned to look at him and sighed.

"I made the decision to help you but I also have a life, a family, and friends, that I need to protect," Shouyou-san said and Daichi sighed, he noticed how his teammates seemed to be paying extra attention to them now, even Kageyama and Young Hinata seemed to be listening to them, the sound of the older man's voice probably shook them out of their shock.

"The only way that I can think I can protect them, is to keep the timeline as close as to how it went down the first time around. I know that, I can't influence the life or decisions of others, but I can do something about mine. If Shouyou can promise me that he'll do what I did after I graduated, then I'll help you. The decision I took was heavily influenced by things that happened to me during Nationals, if I change those events, then my life, and many other lives, could change, and who knows if it'll be for the better, or for the worse, I don't want to risk it. You do understand that, don't you?" Shouyou-san said and Daichi nodded.

Yeah, he understood that much, but what was that decision that he made? And why were his two underclassmen acting like _that_ about it?

"What was that decision that you made? What is your condition?" Daichi asked, he noticed how Shouyou-san looked at his younger self and Kageyama, he then turned to look back at him and prepared himself to answer him, but the answer didn't come from his lips.

"To move to another country," Tsukishima said and everyone turned to look at him in surprise. The young man rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Don't look so surprised, he has been dropping hints all around. Even Oikawa figured it out faster that I did. Yesterday, when he went to pay for our dinner, I heard him talking in English with an American looking waitress, he told Oikawa that he has been overseas, and the guy concluded that it explained his tanned skin. Which makes sense, I guess. There's no way that tan is a result of Japan. He also said something to Oikawa in Spanish, I don't know what he said, but I recognized the language. He even told us that he missed Japanese food. He says things in another language when he's surprise or annoyed, and even his Japanese accent has changed, is lighter, less pronounced. He even struggles with his words sometimes, like he forgot the word or something, like he needs to think about it before saying it. There are other things that I have noticed, but after seeing your expressions, I don't think I need to say any more. As for the country that he moved to, if I had to guess, based on the knowledge that he knows both English and Spanish, and the tanned skin, I'll say that it's somewhere in America. Am I wrong?" Tsukishima asked while giving a challenging look to Older Hinata. 

The older redhead smirked at him. "You know, Tsukki. You've always been too smart for your own good. Better be careful, it might get you in trouble one of these days."

"So, it's true. The shrimpy over there has to move to another country for you to help us, huh? That does sound like something crazy enough for you to do it, but why?" Tsukishima asked and Older Hinata sighed.

"Like I said, things happened and decisions were made. Besides, he doesn't have to move away _now_ , I was talking about after graduation."

"Where in America?" Daichi asked, he was trying to be calm about this, but it was taking a lot out of him to stay as calm as he could, he needed answers, and he needed them fast.

" _South_ America, actually," Older Hinata said and everyone gasped in surprise. "To Rio de Janeiro," Older Hinata said and everyone froze at that.

The gym became extremely quiet all of a sudden. Only the animated voices of their schoolmates could be heard in the distance.

Older Hinata took one look at their expressions and sighed. "Yes, _that_ Rio. In _that_ Brazil."

"BRAZIL?!"

Shouyou-san sighed again. "Listen, he doesn't have to answer me _now_ , he can think about it for a while if he wants. But I will only become your coach, if he promise to go there."

"Do you seriously expect us to believe that you live in Rio de Janeiro? Can you even speak the language?" Tanaka asked and Older Hinata said something in a language that they didn't recognize, but now they could guess what it was, Brazilian Portuguese.

Tanaka blinked at the man and then he made _that_ _face_. "Okay, I have no idea what you just said, but that better not be anything bad or you'll regret it, you little brat."

Older Hinata sighed again. "I _can_ speak Portuguese and I don't live in Rio, not anymore." The team breathed a sigh of relief at that. "I live in São Paulo now," Older Hinata said and the team stiffened again.

"Yes, _that_ São Paulo, in _that_ Brazil."

"São Paulo?! Are you serious?" The team asked in unison.

"Deadly," Older Hinata deadpanned.

"Listen, you asked me if I was a professional Volleyball player and _I am_. But I don't play in _Japan_. I play in _Brazil_ , my team is ASAS São Paulo," Older Hinata said and the gym exploded with sound, questions were being thrown at the older redhead left, right, and center.

Daichi and Coach Ukai tried to control the situation again, but the team was completely out of control this time. Daichi shared a look with Coach Ukai, this time it'll probably take a miracle for everyone to calm down.

"SHUT UP!" Young Hinata screamed all of a sudden at the top of his lungs. His face was red and his knuckles were turning white. The room went quiet at the sudden shout, everyone turned to look at Young Hinata in surprise, when the young man noticed that everyone was looking at him, he blushed in embarrassment and whispered apologies under his breath.

"Damn, Shouyou. You've got some big lungs in that tiny body," Noya suddenly said. The surprise seemed to disappear all of a sudden at Nishinoya's words, but before the team had a chance to go crazy again, Young Hinata's voice interrupted them once again.

"Do you really play in Brazil?" Young Hinata asked his older self in a tiny voice.

"Yes," the older redhead replied.

"I don't believe you," Young Hinata said and Shouyou-san smiled.

"I know, that's why I brought this," Shouyou-san said and opened his gym bag and pulled out a red jersey, he threw it to Young Hinata who caught it without thinking.

Young Hinata inspected the shirt with wide eyes. It had Hinata's name and the number twenty-one on it, looking at the material, at all the logos, and the tags, it was clear that it was the real deal. There was no doubt about it, that was the jersey that his older self proudly wore in the court now. He was no longer _Karasuno's #10,_ now he was _ASAS São Paulo's #21_.

Young Hinata pulled the shirt to his chest and fell to the floor and started crying. Suga tried to console him, but Daichi stopped him and pointed to Older Hinata. Shouyou-san smiled at his younger self. "You make it, kiddo. It's gonna take a lot of effort, a lot of pain, many sacrifices, and a lot of trail and error. But one day, all that sweat, all of those tears, and all that blood, are going to give you a result, that result is in your hands right now. I'm not lying to you, that jersey is _yours,_ and trust me, the road to get it, wasn't an easy one."

The team stared between the two Hinatas in silence, this was a moment between them that they couldn't intervene in. It wasn't their place. "Why Brazil?" Young Hinata asked after he got a little control of his emotions.

"Like I said, some things happened, you like Volleyball, but I discovered that I love it, that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I also discovered that, I wasn't good enough for that, not yet. So, I did a little research and found out about how things are done in Beach Volleyball, the concept intrigued me, so I decided to learn how to play Beach Volleyball. Unfortunately, the best person I could find to teach me lives in Rio, and of course I wasn't going to let that stop me. So, after graduation, I took about a year to prepare myself, then I moved to Rio and I started my training in Beach Volleyball, for two years, that's all I did, training. As for the rest, well you can imagine it."

"Wait," Coach Ukai said all of a sudden. "I thought you were a professional _indoor_ Volleyball player."

"I am."

"Then why Beach Volleyball?" Coach Ukai asked and the team nodded. Everyone was probably wondering the same thing.

"To become better at indoor Volleyball," Older Hinata responded like it was obvious.

"You lost us," the whole team said in unison, Shouyou-san smiled.

"I know it doesn't really make sense at first, but believe it or not, Beach Volleyball helped me a lot. I became a way better indoor player thanks to it," Older Hinata said with a smile. The team still looked confused, though.

"But..." Young Hinata's tiny voice interrupted them again. "Brazil is so far away, what about my family? My friends?"

Older Hinata sighed and walked closer to his younger self, he kneeled in front of the young boy and asked him to look him in the eyes. "Listen, Shouyou. I won't lie to you, it was very hard. The climate, the time, the people, the food, the culture, everything is different over there, and is going to overwhelm you. Not understanding the language at first, not having anyone to talk to, starting from the very bottom again, is going to be one of the greatest challenges of your life. You're going to have many doubts, and there are going to be a lot of bad days, you won't even want to get out of bed on some days, but give it a chance, and little by little, you'll start seeing the beauty of the place, you'll start understanding the people around you, you'll learn to love Volleyball once again, you'll see everything in a new light, and you're gonna made a bunch of new friends, and one day, you're going to realize that, without you noticing, Brazil became home," Older Hinata finished with a big smile on his face. Daichi gasped in surprise and he heard that many others did the same.

Young Hinata has never smiled like _that_.

The man was clearly in love with the place. Now Daichi understood, Brazil was Older Hinata's true home, he finally found himself, he's no longer lost.

Fighting against that treacherous sand, against that wild wind, and that scorching sun, had revealed his true self.

Hinata was no longer Karasuno's little #10, or Kageyama's other half, in that beach he was just _Shouyou_.

He went there to find himself, he went there to become free, to become his own person, to fight on his own. The cage around his wings was no longer there, now he was flying freely and there was no one there to stop him.

 _Crap_ , Daichi wanted to cry, their little crow wasn't so little anymore.

If _he_ felt like this, then how does Older Daichi feel when he watches one of Hinata's games?

Older Daichi has seen Hinata grow from a baby crow to this amazing young man that moved around the court as if he owned the place.

How do you feel, older me? Do you feel proud? Happy? Because I sure do.

Daichi shared a look and a smile with Suga, both understanding what this moment meant to many of them.

A loud gasp of surprise filled the room all of a sudden, Daichi turned to look at where the sound had come from and noticed that Kageyama was looking intensely at Older Hinata. Shouyou-san turned to look at him, but Kageyama started running as soon as he noticed that the older man heard him. In a flash, Kageyama was out of the gym.

Young Hinata followed Kageyama with his eyes and then looked at Shouyou-san. "Go," the older redhead said and Young Hinata nodded and went after him. Daichi noticed that Yachi-san also tried to run after them with a worried look on her face and eyes, but she was stopped by Shouyou-san.

"Don't," Shouyou-san said. "They have a lot to talk about, trust me. _He_ had a lot of things to say the first time around, after all," Older Hinata said, eyes locked on the entrance of the room. Coach Ukai took one look at the man and turned to look at them with a frown on his face.

"Well, we have wasted enough time already, we have a meeting to finish. Everyone go back to your places, Sensei get the board, Shimizu-san, please help me with the papers, Yachi-san, please take notes to give to Kageyama and Hinata. Shouyou-san, would you do me a favor and look through my ideas and tell me what you think?" Coach Ukai ordered and everyone started doing what they were told, in no time the meeting restarted. The only sign that they have been interrupted before was the absence of their little duo.

Daichi sighed and prayed that everything was going the be alright. They couldn't lose their concentration now. They needed to give Nationals their 120%.

* * *

Tobio heard him before he saw him, of course the little tangerine would run after him. Tobio sighed and turned to look at the small boy, Hinata was still clutching that red jersey in his hands.

"You should go," Tobio said and Hinata frowned. "No, I came here to talk to you and I'm not leaving until we talk," the boy said with determination shining in his eyes, Tobio rolled his eyes.

"No, boke. I mean to Brazil. You should go there," Tobio said and waited for the little tangerine to process his words and give him a proper response.

"Why?" Or a confused one. He'll take whatever.

Tobio sighed. "You smile all the time, or well, most of the time. But ever since I met you, I have never seen you smile like _that_. You don't smile like _he_ does."

"That's nonsense, we're the same person."

"Maybe, but you don't share the same feelings. Can I ask you a question?" Tobio asked and waited for Hinata's reply, the boy looked at him searchingly and nodded after a while.

"Are you happy? Truly," Tobio asked, but the true is, he didn't need a reply, it was written all over the smaller boy's face. He was happy, he enjoyed Volleyball, and he liked to spend time with his friends and family, but he wasn't truly happy, something was missing. There was a weight on his shoulders that wasn't there in Older Hinata's shoulders.

"What kind of question is that? Of course I am," Hinata said but Tobio shook his head.

"Don't lie to me. You know, ever since I met you, I have known something about you. You're lost, you haven't found your place in the world or in Volleyball. When I found out that I could do _that_ toss, I knew right away that it'll take one hell of a spiker for it to work. I looked everywhere for that spiker, but they weren't fast enough or they didn't jump high enough, but then I met you. I saw your speed, your jump, and I knew that you're the person I have been looking for. You overwhelmed me, but I also knew that you weren't ready yet. Then I found you again, and you trusted that toss with everything you got, and it worked perfectly for us, until it didn't, and I was afraid I was going to lose you, but then you came back with this crazy idea that somehow worked and everything was fine again. But then, I got chosen for that camp, I saw your face and for a moment, I thought you hated me, I thought that we were over, when I came back, everything was different, you're different."

"You're not making much sense, Kageyama-kun."

"I know, I'm not good with words so I don't know how to make you understand." Tobio sighed. "When I started playing Volleyball it started to get boring after a while, not because I didn't liked it, or anything like that. It's just, I was _too good_ at it, and the other kids just _weren't_. Someone very important to me noticed that I was going easy on the other kids, and after I told him that it was the only way that I could find to keep playing more Volleyball, he told me that if I got very good at it then someone better would come and find me. I clung to that idea for years, waiting for that someone to come to challenge me, I waited for someone as good, and as passionate as me to come and find me, and just when I started losing hope, I found you. I knew that you were that person, but while you have the potential, you're not ready yet, you're not there yet. You like Volleyball, but you don't love it, not yet. You're good, but you can be way more better. You need to find a way to stand on that court as Hinata Shouyou, not as the Little Giant, or as the other part of the Freak Duo, or as Karasuno's #10. You need to be just _you_."

"I didn't wait my whole life for the Little Giant or for a partner, I waited for an opponent. For someone better to come and challenge me. If I have to wait a few more years for that to happen, then so be it. If you have to go to the other side of the world for that to happen, then so be it. I don't care how much time I have to wait for you to be ready, just promise me that you'll come back. That you won't forget that you made a promise to defeat me. Go to Brazil, become better and stronger, then come here and prove to me, and to the entire world out there, that you deserve to stand on the same stage as me. Prove to me, and to everyone else, that I didn't made a mistake when I chose you as my rival." Tobio was pretty much shouting at this point, he didn't care who heard him, he had to make Hinata understand why seeing that smile on Older Hinata's face had been so eye opening for him.

Tobio never thought he'll be jealous of his older self but he was. Older Kageyama has the monster that is Older Hinata to play Volleyball with. Tobio also has him, but this Hinata was lost, he still didn't know what he wanted to be, who he wanted to be. This Hinata could change his mind and path at any moment, he could turn around and leave Tobio behind forever, just another High School memory, buried somewhere deep in a box gathering dust in an abandoned room.

Older Kageyama is never going to lose Older Hinata, the man loves that court and the sport probably more than he loves his own life. To see him so happy, so carefree, so in love, seeing him like that made Tobio finally realized what he was missing. He finally realized what his grandfather had meant. All this time, Tobio has been fighting to not lose Hinata, just like he lost his sister, his Grandpa, and his teammates, but it's not about losing him. It's about him coming back to Tobio, better and stronger.

How many times had Hinata walked away from Tobio only to come back better and stronger? He should've realized it sooner. But Tobio was an idiot, it took _this_ for him to realize it, now Tobio wasn't afraid to let him go, not anymore. Because he knew that he's always going to come back to him.

"Brazil is so far away," the smaller boy said, his little hands were clutching the red jersey to his chest. "I don't really understand what made him go there. I don't know what happened to him but I know how _I_ feel. I love playing Volleyball, I want to stay in that court for a very long time, and I want to keep playing with you. When you got chosen to go to that camp I knew you were going somewhere I couldn't follow, I knew I didn't deserved to be there, all the people there are probably really amazing, people who have given their all to the sport for years and years. People who have poured blood, sweat, and tears into every practice and every game. I don't deserve to be there, I'm not good enough yet, that's why I went to Shiratorizawa, I wanted to see what I was lacking, and now I know. I'm going to get better, so much better, I'm going to learn from everyone around me, then I'm going to go to Brazil and learn everything I can and more, and I'm going to come back, and we'll play as many games as you like. The big stage, the place that every athlete dreams of, we'll stand on that court together, we'll represent _our_ country together, and we're going to take it to top, I promise." 

"If you forget that promise, I'm gonna kick your ass," Tobio warned and Hinata laughed.

Tobio guesses that now he knows how Hinata most have felt went Tobio went to that camp. This time, Hinata was the one going to a place that Tobio couldn't follow. "I won't forget, I promise." Hinata raised his little fist and Tobio smiled and bumped their fist together, after that, Tobio turned around and started walking. "Come on we have to tell the team that we have a new coach." Tobio didn't heard any footsteps following him so he turned around with a frown.

The sight of Hinata wearing Older Hinata's red jersey greeted him, Hinata noticed him staring and gave a little spin, he then turned to look at him with a smile. "Well? How do I look?" The smaller boy asked and Tobio rolled his eyes. "Like you're wearing a dress."

"Bakageyama, don't be so mean," Hinata whined.

"Well, it's true you don't have the muscle or height to fill it up. You look like a little kid wearing his dad's clothes," Tobio said sincerely and Hinata huffed in annoyance and once he was out of the shirt, he threw the red jersey straight at Tobio's face. Unfortunately for him, Tobio caught it in midair with one hand. Hinata huffed in annoyance again.

Tobio looked at the jersey in his hands.

 _ASAS_ _São Paulo, huh?_

It's too bad really, Tobio is going to steal one hell of a spiker away from you guys. This time around things are going to be different, Tobio would make sure of it.

"So, what do you think he's going to teach us?" Hinata asked as soon as they started walking in the direction of the gym. Tobio sighed, he had been wondering the same thing, there was no doubt that Older Hinata has an arsenal full of skills and tricks under his belt but what would the older redhead consider appropriate for a bunch of High Schoolers?

"I don't know, really. Hopefully, something good that helps us reach the top," Tobio finally replied after thinking a little bit about it.

"We're going to reach it, you'll see," Hinata said with a smile, Tobio smiled back. "Yeah, we will."

When they got back to the gym everyone stared at them, the two shared a look and smiled. "We have a new coach!" Tobio and Hinata said in unison, the whole team celebrated.

* * *

**_Thursday, September 15, 2022_ **

**_Rome, Italy_ **

**_3:13 AM_ **

The whole week, Tobio has been having the same dream.

He's on the orange court, wearing Karasuno's #9, his teammates from his first year are all there, the cheers of the people around them are almost making him go deaf. Tobio looks at the scores again, Set 3, 24 - 22.

Just one more point, one more point and the match would be theirs. Tobio looks at his teammates again, he knows all of their strengths and skills, but he also knows that this point has to be _his_. If Tobio wants this match to be theirs, if he wants to win, then the ball has to go to _him_.

Tobio's eyes search for those orange curls and that bright number ten, once he finds him their eyes meet and Tobio thinks ' _Fly for me, come here and get it_ ', once the ball reaches him, Tobio tosses it perfectly for his little partner.

The other team panics, the spectators seem to be holding their breaths, Tobio smirks, he knows the effect the little monster has on others. _Yes, be afraid of our little crow._

Tobio hears the squeak of his partner's Volleyball shoes and when the smaller boy jumps, Tobio swears he can see wings.

But suddenly there's a loud bang, then a bright light, someone screams and in the blink of an eye, Hinata disappears, only leaving black feathers behind.

Tobio watches the ball fall to the ground right in front of him, this is wrong, the ball should be falling on the other side of the court. Where's their little spiker? Why didn't he spike? Where did he go?

A loud sound wakes Tobio up, and he groans. Is it his alarm already?

Tobio looks at the time and realizes that _no_ , it's not his alarm and that _it's too fucking early for this_.

Tobio looks at his phone, finally realizing where the loud sound is coming from. Tobio groaned again, he forgot to put it in silence.

If it hadn't been for the creepy dream he was having, Tobio swears he'll aim a serve to the head of whoever was calling him at _three in the fucking morning._

Tobio looks at the name and picture staring back at him and a few curses escape his lips before answering the damn call. "Do you have any idea what time it is here!? Learn about timezones before calling someone who lives in another country!"

"I see, so the news haven't reached ya yet," the voice of Miya Atsumu greets him back after Tobio's warm little hello.

Tobio has to rub his eyes and look at his phone again, because he was pretty sure that Miya Atsumu never sounded like _that_. The older setter always has this little teasing tone in his voice, it always made Tobio wonder if the guy was genuinely talking to him or simply making fun of him, about ten years of knowing the guy and Tobio still couldn't figure that out.

But now he just sounded frustrated, he sounded angry and sad. _Devastated_ , some people would say. Tobio wondered what kind of thing could make the older man sound like _that_.

"What news?" Tobio asked and he heard Miya-san sigh on the other side of the phone.

"The Jackals just got a call from São Paulo," Miya-san said and Tobio stiffened, his whole body going cold.

_São Paulo._

_Hinata._

_Shit._

**_"Shouyou-kun is missing."_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooohhh bet you didn't see that coming! Okay, okay. I know what you're thinking 'Can you end a chapter without a cliffhanger?' The answer is apparently a big fat no. Hehe, blame my English teacher. Yeah, it's her fault, nothing to do with me, nope. Not at all.
> 
> I have been waiting for this chapter for a very long time now, ah I'm so excited. Honestly, if you can't tell where this story is going after this then I don't know what to tell you.
> 
> QOTD: What is Shouyou-san going to teach the little crows? What is Older Kageyama's role in the story? Find out soon!
> 
> Okay, QUESTIONS and EXPLANATIONS.
> 
> 1) So Kageyama-san finally showed up, like I said, I have been looking forward to this chapter. Older Kageyama and some of the other older characters are going to be having a big role in this story, but it might not be the one you're thinking. Just keep that in mind. Don't get ahead of yourselves, people. Their roles are slowly going to be reveal. There are also some things going on with Kageyama-kun in case you didn't notice, yeah keep an eye on him. He might surprise you sooner or later. *Sleepy and grumpy Kageyama-san is so fun to write*
> 
> 2) The condition is finally revealed, I honestly thought that it was pretty obvious, but funny enough, nobody guessed it correctly in the comments from last chapter. I thought of many ways to reveal that but I finally went with Detective Tsukki, because I thought that the little interactions between him and Older Hinata were amusing. Oikawa's cameo is also explained for those of you wondering why he showed up last chapter.
> 
> 3) First POV of Shouyou-san, what did you guys think about it? All ASAS names are made up, they aren't canon at all in case you're wondering. So as someone who had to move countries at a very young age, who had to leave friends and family behind and start from zero I really hope I did this chapter justice. One of the reasons I love Hinata so much, is because during the Brazil arc I understood him perfectly, because I also moved to another country that I didn't know anything about, I had to learned a language I didn't understood at all, and I had to do everything alone because friends and family were left behind, but little by little, I discovered my new home. So, I hope I made this chapter justice. And if you're reading this and going through the same situation, hang in there, everything is going to be fine. Just be patient, it gets easier.
> 
> 4) So, spoilers. The first draft of this chapter was like way longer and full of spoilers, but I edited it, because I thought that people who haven't read the manga would be like what? This is what happens? Are you kidding me? And the people who have read the manga are going to be like, yeah, I know that already continue with the chapter. But yeah, from now on, the story is going to be very spoiler heavy, so if you don't want to get spoiled, then we have to say goodbye here. I'm planning other Haykyuu fics so it's not goodbye forever but it will be for this fic. Sorry, it's for your own good.
> 
> 5) I almost forgot, ships. People have been asking me about ships, in case you haven't been able to tell, my favorite ships are Kagehina and Atsuhina, I have my reasons for that. I don't know if I'm going to make this story into any of those because I don't want any ship wars to start (ever checked the MHA fandom? Yeah, it's wild over there and I don't want that). I know Haikyuu has a lot of ships and I understand a lot of them, I ship some of them too, but some I don't even know where they came from. Some people (not you guys) have told me that they ship person A with person B and I'm over here like, I'm pretty sure those two haven't even met in canon, but whatever floats your boat, bro. So yeah, not sure where this story is going with ships because like I said, I hate ship wars and ship bashing, so no no no. Not dealing with that now. Hope that answered some of your questions.
> 
> \- This chapter was all over the place with the POV's, so sorry about that, I hope people didn't get confused with that.
> 
> So I think that's it, thanks so much for reading and for all the support. If you have any questions or want to say something, feel free to rant at me in the comments. Stay safe and healthy, have an awesome day, I'll write to you guys later, bye.
> 
> P.S - Why 3:13 am? Creepy things happen at 3:00 am, don't ask.


	6. Guardians

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karasuno starts working with their new Coach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone. I'm back, sorry it took a little longer than normal. My week was kind of crazy. Thank you for all the support you guys have been giving this story, I really appreciate all of your comments, kudos, bookmarks, and everything else.
> 
> This chapter is kind of a filler, just setting some stuff up for the future, not much is going on in here but we're going back to the action next chapter. Kudos to whoever guesses correctly why the chapter is titled that way. ;)
> 
> Once again, all mistakes are mine and mine alone. English is not my first language, and I also don't have a beta, so feel free to point any mistakes out, I won't get mad, I promise. 
> 
> Happy reading, enjoy the chapter! :)

Keishin looked around and took a deep breath, the celebrations had finally died down and it was time to finally get to practice. He cleared his throat to get his students attention and braced himself.

"Okay. Kageyama, Hinata, while you guys were gone, it was decided that morning practices would be dedicated to your serves training. All of your serves still need work, and the more people who master either jump serves or jump floaters, the better. As for the afternoon practices, that would be dedicated to everything else. Nishinoya is going to start practicing tossing to everyone, even to Kageyama. People have been starting to notice that he can only sync with Asahi or Tanaka, and the less we get blocked the better."

"That's not true, I also toss to Suga-san and Daichi-san," Nishinoya said with a pout. 

"Yes, but you usually don't, I want you to be able to toss to everyone, especially to Hinata and Kageyama. We're also going to start practicing to block and receive the quick attack, and Kageyama is going to start practicing with our backup players more. That's what this week is going to be about, everyone else is fine with it, what about you two?" The two boys shared a look and nodded.

"Alright, we're going to start practicing blocking and receiving the freak quick, who wants to go first?" The team shared anxious looks with each other, clearly no one wanted to go first. Keishin sighed and looked at Tsukishima, the tall first year noticed him staring and rolled his eyes, he was about to say something when Shouyou-san interrupted him.

"I'll do it," the man said and everyone turned to look at him in surprise. "Listen, I know you guys are a little scared of that quick attack, but blocking it or receiving it is not that hard or impossible, it has happened before, right?" Shouyou-san asked, the team gave each other nervous glances and nodded. 

"Well, yeah. But..."

"Let me guess, you thought it was luck, didn't you? But it's not about luck or anything like that. It's about dedication, and let me tell you something, ' _luck_ ' is the worst kind of insult that you can give to a player. You guys are scared because that attack has never been used against you outside of practice matches against your own teammates, but think about that attack going against you in a real match, in a match where every move and point counts, in a match where the _tiny_ little mistake can mean the end of your team. You don't like that, do you?" Shouyou-san asked, but judging by the looks on the team's faces right now, it was clear that he didn't need an answer.

"The truth is, you guys actually have an advantage against that attack. You guys know it inside and out. You know the movements of the players, the speed of the attack, you can probably even guess the direction of where the ball is going to go before it happens. The only thing you need to do, is stop thinking of that attack as _yours_ and start thinking of it as an _enemy attack_ , because that's what's going to become soon. Like I said, before it's not hard and it's not luck. Just let me get ready and I'll show you," the man said and grabbed his gym bag, he asked Daichi for the keys of the clubroom, Daichi blinked at him and told him that the room was unlocked. The man nodded and left.

"Not that hard, he says," Sugawara whispered.

"For him, maybe," Asahi whispered back.

"But he's right, you know? You guys _do have_ an advantage. Alright, Kageyama, Hinata, go get ready too," Keishin ordered and the two boys nodded and started preparing themselves. "As for the rest of you, observe and take notes."

_Oh, this is going to be so much fun._

In no time, the man was back and started doing his stretches, Kageyama and Hinata were practicing spiking. Keishin looked at the three of them and almost wanted to laugh, they have the same look of concentration and determination on their faces.

Keishin turned to look at the team. "Okay, since Yachi-san is busy doing whatever ' _secret_ _project'_ she and Shimizu-san are planning now, who wants to help?" Kinoshita and Narita raised their hands, after a little discussion, it was decided that Narita would be passing the balls to Kageyama and Kinoshita would be picking up the stray balls. The rest of the team grabbed some chairs and sat down to observe. Sugawara and Daichi even asked for notebooks to take notes.

After finishing his stretches, Shouyou-san nodded at him and stepped into the court, he looked at Young Hinata and Kageyama and smirked. "Alright, kiddos. Guess it's time for the two of you to learn a little lesson," Shouyou-san said and the two boys shared a look.

"What lesson?" The two asked in confusion. Shouyou-san gave them a very intimidating look.

"You're not invincible," Shouyou-san said and smiled sweetly at the two boys, Keishin suppressed a shiver and he noticed that both boys actually took a step back.

_Scary, professional players are scary._

Keishin turned to look at Takeda-sensei, the man had already divided the board into ten little squares, the top row said 'Receives' and the bottom row said 'Blocks'. Keishin nodded at Sensei and turned back to the court.

"Alright, Hinata and Kageyama, I need you to send ten spikes Shouyou-san's way, just ten spikes, no more. Shouyou-san, try to give us five receives and five blocks. If you can't, that's fine, do whatever you feel comfortable with, or whatever you think would work best. Is everyone ready?" After receiving some nods and noticing that everyone was in position, Keishin blew his whistle.

Narita passed the ball to Kageyama, as soon as the ball left Narita's hands, Keishin noticed how Shouyou-san's eyes sharpened and how he started following the ball with his eyes. The ball reached Kageyama and Young Hinata jumped, Kageyama did a back toss to the little spiker, and Keishin noticed how Hinata spiked it a little to the left, Shouyou-san reacted quickly, and in no time he was in position to receive the ball. Shouyou-san did an overhand receive and send the ball perfectly to where the setter would be.

As if it was second nature, Kinoshita grabbed the ball from the air and after he noticed what he did he stared at it in disbelief. Keishin heard some gasps of surprise from behind him and he also heard how Nishinoya laughed in delight. Young Hinata and Kageyama were staring at Shouyou-san in disbelief. One receive down, four more to go.

After the third receive, Kageyama scowled and grabbed Young Hinata, he whispered something into the smaller boy's ear and Young Hinata nodded. Keishin looked at Shouyou-san and noticed that the man didn't look worried at all. He looked at the team next, Daichi and Sugawara were furiously taking notes.

Nishinoya had separated from the group on the second receive and started mimicking Shouyou-san's movements, carefully watching the man and the ball, the small libero was probably taking mental notes of everything happening in the court right now. Accumulating information and coming up with strategies for the future.

Keishin was glad that Shouyou-san was making it look like receiving that fast attack was easy, at least the scared looks had dissapeared, only to be replace with looks of concentration, his students were thinking about what they would do in that situation, that was a good sign, it meant they were taking this seriously. Keishin sighed in relief and he blew his whistle again. Two more receives to go.

Narita passed the ball to Kageyama, as soon as the ball reached the setter, Young Hinata jumped and swung his arm. Keishin realized what the kid was going to do a second before it happened, Hinata was going to pull a feint. Shouyou-san moved so fast, that Keishin was pretty sure he teleported, he bumped the ball with his arms to where the setter would be, once again, Kinoshita grabbed the ball from the air and threw it back into the cart.

Keishin stared at Kinoshita, the boy had been acting pretty quickly to the ball, snatching it from the air at exactly the right moment. If this was a practice match, then Kinoshita's timing would be perfect to set. Questions and ideas were starting to form in Keishin's head.

Had Kinoshita ever played as setter before? Did he played Volleyball during Junior High? Keishin knew that some of the others did, but what about Kinoshita? He had to ask the boy about it sometime.

It was time for the last receive of the day, Kageyama pulled Young Hinata to the side again and whispered something to him. Young Hinata nodded and signaled that they were ready. Keishin blew his whistle again and Narita passed the ball to Kageyama. Young Hinata started running and jumped, Keishin knew what was going to happen, Hinata was going to spike the ball straight down just like that time against Shiratorizawa.

Older Hinata also seemed to know what was going to happen and in a flash, he was right there to receive it. This time, Older Hinata didn't pass the ball to Kinoshita, instead he send it to the other side of the court and Kageyama failed to save it.

Keishin blew his whistle. "Okay, that's five receives, rest for a bit and after that, we'll start with blocking. Kinoshita, can you come here, please?" Keishin asked and the young man looked up in surprise and nodded at him.

Keishin looked at the worried face of his student and sighed. "Relax, kid. I'm not going to scold you or anything like that." Kinoshita sighed in relief and relaxed a little. Keishin frowned, was he _that_ scary? "Quick question. Did you played Volleyball during your Junior High years?"

Kinoshita looked at him in surprise and then nodded after a minute. "Yeah, I did. Not much though. I wasn't a starter until my third year."

"I see. What position did you used to play?"

"The same one as now," Kinoshita said and Keishin hummed.

"Say, have you played as setter before?" Keishin asked while lowering his voice a little, in case Kageyama or Sugawara heard them. Those two could be quite the jealous type sometimes. They tend to defend their position with sharp claws when they feel threatened. Kageyama more than Sugawara, but still.

"Not outside of practice matches. I never played Volleyball before Junior High, so my Coach tested me in all positions before making me a starter. And I have played as setter during three-on-three's. Why?" Kinoshita asked, also lowering his voice during his explanation.

"So you do have some experience on it, I saw how you quickly reacted to Shouyou-san's passes. I thought that if it was a practice match, then you'll be in a perfect form and position to set. You were pretty good out there just now," Keishin said and Kinoshita blushed in embarrassment at the praise. "Thanks, but I think that was mainly because Shouyou-san's passes were perfect."

"It could be that, yes. But that and your past knowledge kicking in made you react to it." Keishin sighed again and looked at the team.

"Listen. Next year, Sugawara is not going to be here, Kageyama is truly amazing, there's no doubt about it, but things tend to happen. So far, we have dealt with those things by bringing Sugawara in, but next year we're not going to have him and if we don't get a backup setter with the new members then we're screwed. If something happens to Kageyama, - and don't get me wrong, I hope nothing happens. - But if something happens to our setter, then it's game over for Karasuno," Keishin said and Kinoshita's eyes widened in surprise and he started to look a little sick.

Keishin knows that the first and second years are aware that the third-years are leaving soon, but he also knows that they're still living under the blanket of security that their senpais provide.

Ennoshita and Tanaka can probably fill the holes left behind by Daichi and Asahi, it'll take a lot of effort and confidence, but Keishin is sure that they can do it.

Yachi-san might be really shy and awkward, but Shimizu-san is trying her best to teach her how to handle things around here, and Keishin can see that the results are paying off. Besides, the first-years are going to be a great support for that girl. Even though things are sometimes tense and awkward between them, Keishin can see a strong bond forming between those five.

But Sugawara was more than a backup setter. He's like the older brother to all of them, or more like a mom to the team in a way. Those were two roles than needed to be fulfilled by someone else next year. Keishin has been worrying about it for some time now, he doesn't know what kind of people are going to be joining the club next year, but he can work with the people he has now, right? He still doesn't know who's going to be fulfilling Sugawara's second role just yet, but maybe, just maybe, he can get someone to fulfill his setter role.

"Listen, I know you're already a backup wing spiker and also a pinch server, but would you mind practicing setting for a bit? If you don't like it or are not comfortable with it, then tell me and it'll be fine, I'll try someone else but at least give it a try, how's that sound?" Keishin asked and he saw how Kinoshita thought long and hard about it.

"I can try, but I can't promise anything," Kinoshita said and Keishin nodded, that was fair.

"That's fine with me. Maybe I can get Narita, Ennoshita, and Yamaguchi to accept too, so you're not doing it alone, and who knows, I might get a new backup setter out of it. I'll talk with Sugawara and Kageyama too, see if they can give you guys some pointers or something," Keishin said and Kinoshita nodded. Keishin dismissed him and turned to look back at the team.

"Alright, is everyone ready to continue?" Keishin asked and the team nodded at him.

"Back to your positions then. Kinoshita since Shouyou-san is going to be blocking now instead of receiving, then change your position from setter to libero. All of you need to remember that there are different types of blocking, okay? So if Kinoshita is able to get the ball we're counting it as a successful block. Same drill as before, Shouyou-san. Try to give me five successful blocks but if you can't, then do whatever you think would work best," Keishin said and Kinoshita and Shouyou-san nodded and got in position. Keishin turned to look to the other side of the court and noticed that his students were ready and he blew his whistle.

The first block was a one-touch and Kinoshita managed to get it in time, it looked painful though, and the pass was very shaky. On their second attempt, Young Hinata changed directions at the last second, but while Young Hinata is fast, Shouyou-san is faster. The older redhead jumped in time and managed to smack down the spike, Young Hinata and Kageyama were unable to react on time. In the third attempt, Hinata tried to do a block out but Shouyou-san noticed and moved his hand out of the way and Kinoshita called it an out.

 _He used that move again, huh._ Keishin thought in irritation.

Mind you, it's not the first time he sees it or hears about it but, _damn,_ that one sure is annoying.

 _He's a professional, what did you expect?_ A voice inside Keishin's head asked, Keishin got even more irritated now. That voice sounded way too much like his old geezer for comfort.

Young Hinata and Kageyama seemed torn between looking annoyed and amazed. Kinoshita on the other hand looked happy, probably glad that he wasn't the only one to have that move used against him.

Kageyama pulled Young Hinata to the side again and once again whispered something to him, Shouyou-san looked amused for some reason, Keishin sighed and told them to get ready to continue. Keishin blew his whistle and Narita passed the ball to Kageyama, Hinata jumped and Keishin sighed already knowing what was going to happen.

Sure enough, Kageyama did a setter dump or better say, he _tried,_ but his dump got blocked by Shouyou-san too.

"Oi, Kageyama..." Keishin started to say, but he got interrupted by Shouyou-san.

"Hey, Little Kageyama. I know you hate losing, but Coach Ukai wants you guys to learn how to block and receive the quick attack, not your setter dumps, save those for a real match, please. Also, get more creative, that was painfully obvious," Shouyou-san said, stealing every word from Keishin's mouth. Kageyama looked annoyed, his left eye started twitching again. Kageyama huffed in annoyance and turned to look at Narita and Young Hinata and signaled at them to continue.

On the fourth try, or was it fifth? - Are we counting the dump? - Shouyou-san made Young Hinata spike straight to an already waiting Kinoshita. Nishinoya's cheers could be heard in the background, Young Hinata's eyes sparkled in recognition and then in annoyance. "Yeah, I hate that guy's blocking too," Shouyou-san commented and Young Hinata agreed with him, everyone else looked at the two Hinata's in confusion. Not understanding what the two redheads were talking about.

On the last try, Young Hinata tried to regroup with a rebound but once again, Shouyou-san moved his hand out of the way and Kinoshita dived to save the ball, barely managing it in time. The ball went back to Kageyama's and Young Hinata's side of the court, but both boys were so shocked that they probably didn't even realized it until they heard the ball hitting the floor.

"Well, that would be a good move to use against someone like Bokuto," Tsukishima commented and Keishin had to agree.

"Shouyou-kun, Little Kageyama," Shouyou-san said and both boys snapped out of their shocks. "Why do you look so shocked? Is not the first time you get blocked or your quicks get received. Tell me why do you think I was able to do that?" Shouyou-san asked and both boys looked at him in confusion.

"Do you think it was luck? Because I'm older? A pro? Because I have more experienced?" Shouyou-san asked, but Kageyama and Young Hinata said nothing, they just continued to stare at the man in shock.

"It wasn't luck or experience. It was observation. The whole court is full of information. The way the ball moves, the way the players move, you have to read it all." Shouyou-san said and then turned to look at the rest of the team.

"There's also something else. I remember, for three years, Kageyama and I made that move during practices and offical matches. Perfecting it, making it faster, sharper. Finding new ways to make it better. I've seen Kageyama made that toss so many times, I remember how he moves, how he handles the ball, his favorite way to toss it. I remember my moves, seeing myself spiking and running while reviewing every match that we played. I remember the times that attack was used against me, I remember how it felt, and how the other setter and spiker moved. For three years, I saw that move almost everyday. You have been seeing that attack since the start of the school year, you have seen it's success and failures. You saw it improve. You're already used to seeing it, you already know how the players move, so why are you so afraid of it? Sure, speed is amazing, all powerful and intimidating, but it's not invincible, you guys know that better than anyone else, don't you?"

Everyone looked down at that, clearly knowing what Shouyou-san was referencing to and remembering that moment. The moment their ultimate weapon failed. "Get ready and then form a line. I'm gonna make you guys practice until you puke, you're not leaving this place until the whole rotation has gotten five consecutive receives," Shouyou-san said with an intimidating aura all around him.

"Scary," the team murmured.

"Get ready, now."

"Yes, sir!"

"Why do I feel like my job just got stolen?" Keishin asked under his breath.

The first one to try for receives was Daichi. He struggled with the first set of five, only getting two. Sugawara, Asahi and Tanaka only got one out of five. Nishinoya was the most promising so far, getting three out of five. Narita, Kinoshita, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi, only managed to get one too.

Keishin looked at the team and frowned. "Shouyou-san? I know you said the whole rotation, but how are Hinata and Kageyama going to practice?"

Shouyou-san gave him and odd look at that question. "Did you _forget_ that Shouyou-kun and Kageyama-kun are not the only ones that can handle that toss?" Shouyou-san asked and Keishin's eyes widened in understanding. "You mean..."

"I can toss for Shouyou-kun so Kageyama-kun can practice, and Kageyama-kun can toss for me so Shouyou-kun can practice. See? Easy," Shouyou-san said and Keishin sweat dropped.

 _Easy, he says_.

Kageyama looked pissed as hell when Shouyou-san took his spot as setter but he did manage to get two receives out of five. Hinata managed to get one, with his face. Shouyou-san sighed. "Alright, Nishinoya-san since you managed to get three already, you go first in the second round. Daichi-san and Kageyama-kun, you guys go second and third. The rest of you, watch carefully." Shouyou-san said and the three mentioned boys formed a line.

On the second round, Nishinoya managed to get three again. Daichi also managed three and Kageyama was still on two. But none of them had been consecutive. "Okay, Kageyama-kun come set for Shouyou-kun. Nishinoya-san try again, please."

With Kageyama setting for Young Hinata, Nishinoya managed only three again. "Noya-san. Don't just watch the ball, watch how Kageyama-kun and Shouyou-kun move too," Shouyou-san said and this time, Nishinoya managed to get four receives, but he missed the first one.

"Again," Nishinoya said and Keishin and Shouyou-san shared a look.

"Last try, take a break after this one," Keishin said and Nishinoya nodded. He still only managed four receives.

"Take a break and relax, Nishinoya. Clear your mind, that way you'll be able to think more clearly," Keishin said and Nishinoya nodded and moved to the side, Asahi offered him some water and the small libero took it gratefully.

"Okay, Captain. You're up next. Relax, okay? You know the drill," Keishin said and Daichi took a deep breath and nodded.

Daichi managed to get three on the first attempt, but he finally managed to get four on the third try. He was now on the same level as Nishinoya. "Take a break, Daichi. Kageyama you're up next," Keishin said and Older Hinata too Kageyama's place, the young setter took a deep breath and concentrated. He managed two on the first and second tries, but he finally upgraded to three on the third one.

"Let me try again," Nishinoya said and Keishin nodded.

Kageyama and Shouyou-san switched again. Nishinoya managed four again on his first attempt. He almost got the fifth one on his second try.

Before starting the third round, he slapped himself in the face, much to the concern of his teammates. Nishinoya started doing finger pushups, he took a deep breath once he was done, and signaled that he was ready. Keishin noticed how his eyes seemed to be sharper now.

Nishinoya managed the first three receives with no problem. By the fourth one, the whole team seemed to hold their breaths. He got the fourth one with no trouble at all, and Keishin could see how the tension in the room started to rise.

Shouyou-san passed the ball to Kageyama, Hinata started running and jumped just a second before the ball reached the setter, Kageyama did a back toss to Hinata and the small teen spiked it with all his might, Nishinoya moved in a flash and managed to save the ball with his foot. The pass was definitely shaky but at least he got it up. Everyone followed the ball with their eyes and once Keishin snatched it out of the air and threw it back into the cart, the whole team cheered in delight.

"Nishinoya!" The team shouted and went to high five the small libero who was jumping up and down in happiness.

"Well, it seems like Nishinoya is the first one to get it right. That's our amazing libero right there," Sugawara said as he ruffled the boy's hair.

"Noya-san," Shouyou-san called out to the small libero who turned to look at the man with a big smile on his face. "Yes, Shouyou-san?"

"I'll buy you a soda flavoured popsicle after practice."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because you're my awesome senpai," Shouyou-san said and Nishinoya started crying. "Shouyou-san!"

Keishin didn't understand much of what was happening, but he guessed it was probably something important to the small libero. Daichi noticed his confusion and mouthed the words ' _first meeting_ ' at him.

Oh, it's a call back to their first meeting, that makes more sense now.

"I still have to practice more though. I barely got that last one, and I still have to try it while Shouyou-san is the one setting or spiking. But that felt really good," Nishinoya said and the team smiled at him.

"That's our Nishinoya," Daichi said proudly. "But I'm not gonna get left behind. It's my turn now."

Kageyama and Young Hinata nodded and everyone went back to their places. At the end of his three tries, Daichi still could only get four. Kageyama tried again, but he was still at three. Nishinoya tried it again, this time with Shouyou-san playing setter, he had a hard time in the first two tries but by the third one he managed four, the same thing happened with Daichi. Kageyama finally upgraded to four on his last try.

Kageyama started setting again and Nishinoya finally managed to get five perfect receives, his popsicle count upgraded to two after that.

Daichi still couldn't get the last one but it was clear that he was close, he just needed to figure the best a way to kill the speed and spin of the ball without it going crazy.

Kageyama was still at four, but Keishin could tell that he'll also get the fifth one soon. Nishinoya finally managed to get five receives when Shouyou-san was setting but he still couldn't get all five when the older man was the one spiking it.

Shouyou-san's spikes were obviously more powerful than the ones from his younger self, they were also faster. Nishinoya only managed to get three but his popsicle count did upgrade to three.

By the end of practice, only Nishinoya managed to get five receives. He was still struggling when Shouyou-san was setting and he still couldn't pick up all of Shouyou-san's spikes, but he had no trouble at all when it came to Young Hinata and Kageyama.

The ones who only managed to receive only once tried it again, and after five rounds of the whole rotation going at it, Asahi and Tanaka upgraded to two. The ones who were still really bad at it were Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, and Young Hinata. Keishin wasn't surprised, those three had always been a little bad at receiving. Keishin sighed, hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.

Keishin approached Shouyou-san while the guys did their cool down stretches. "You surprised me, you know," Keishin said and the man turned to look at him. "I'm sorry?"

"You're really good as a coach, I thought you'll be all awkward and that explaining things would be a little difficult for you, but you looked like a natural out there," Keishin admitted and the man laughed.

"I have experienced as a coach, you know? I used to give classes to kids and tourists back in Rio. It was fun, and sure it was awkward and a little hard at first, but I got used to it after awhile and I really liked it."

"Oh, that explains it. Wanna review today's practice with us?" Keishin asked and pointed towards Takeda-sensei who was already organizing the notes of today's practices.

"Sure, I'll be there after I do my stretches," the man said and Keishin nodded. Once he turned around he noticed that Shimizu-san and Yachi-san were right behind them.

"Yes?" Keishin asked and the girls shared a look.

"We were wondering if we could ask a few questions to Shouyou-san, is for our secret project," Shimizu-san said and Shouyou-san looked confused. "Secret project?"

"It's something we're planning for the team, we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions, Shouyou-san. I mean, if it doesn't bother you, of course," Shimizu-san said and Shouyou-san turned to look at him.

Keishin shrugged. "Don't look at me, I don't know anything about it." 

"If I can answer some of your questions then I'll help you, what do you guys need to know?" Shouyou-san said and the girls smiled at each other and started firing question after question.

Keishin's eyes widened, already guessing what the ' _secret project_ ' might be.

* * *

On Tuesday during morning practice, Keishin told Takeda-sensei and Shouyou-san about his idea about training someone on the team to act as backup setter once Sugawara was gone. "That's not actually a bad idea at all, that sounds great," Takeda-sensei said and Shouyou-san nodded.

"Takeda-sensei is right, but I recommend that you also suggest to the main players the same thing. We need stronger emergency sets, the only ones who can do it decently as of now are Daichi-san and Nishinoya-san," Shouyou-san commented and Keishin nodded.

"Yes, I know. That doesn't sound so bad, actually. As a matter of fact, as soon as Nishinoya gets the hang of receiving the quick attack I'm gonna start letting him practice tossing to the others," Keishin said.

"He's still weak at overhand receives and getting jump floaters, though," Shouyou-san pointed out.

"Yes, but he's been practicing with Kinoshita for quite some time now. If he doesn't improve soon, then I'll step in but he seems to be doing fine for now," Keishin said and Shouyou-san nodded. They turned to look at the team who were practicing their serves with Nishinoya practicing his receives.

"What about their serves?" Shouyou-san asked and Keishin sighed. "Some are still very weak at it, but Kageyama, Asahi, Tanaka, Yamaguchi, and Kinoshita, seem to have gotten better control of theirs. I'm still worrying about their nerves in a real match though," Keishin commented but Shouyou-san seemed to be lost in thought as he looked at the guys practicing their serves. "Something the matter?"

"I don't know, I feel like I'm forgetting something about serves," Shouyou-san said with a frown.

Keishin and Takeda-sensei shared a worried look. "Is it something bad, Shouyou-san?" Takeda-sensei asked and Shouyou-san shrugged.

"I don't know, I think it had something to do with music, though. I'll probably remember later."

_Music? The hell?_

Keishin called a meeting during afternoon practice. After Takeda-sensei informed them of their upcoming practice match against Date Tech, Keishin finally dropped the bomb about the setter thing. "Listen, guys. This is something that we didn't talk about during our last meeting because I just thought of it yesterday. As you all know, the third years would be graduating soon. I know what it means for some of you but it also means that we'll be losing our backup setter," Keishin said and some eyes widened.

"There are backups for Daichi's and Asahi's positions, but there aren't any for Sugawara's. That's why, I want for those of you who aren't starters to start training to become our new backup setter. If you don't like it, or don't feel comfortable playing as setter, then it's fine, we'll try somebody else. But as of now, I want all of those who aren't starters to start practicing. We don't know what kind of people would be joining us next year, maybe we'll get a setter, maybe we won't, but I want to be prepared anyway. For those of you who are regulars, and want your emergency sets to improve, the invitation is open for you too. Starting today, I'll dedicate an extra hour of practice to setting. Sugawara and Kageyama, if you guys want to help me a little, then that's fine with me. Those of you who are interested, please tell Takeda-sensei. Understood?" Keishin asked and everyone nodded.

"Okay then, go do your stretches. We're going to continue where we left off yesterday."

Nishinoya managed five perfect receives with Young Hinata and Kageyama attacking. He also managed five when Shouyou-san was setting, but he was still struggling when Shouyou-san was the one spiking, only managing to get three and they were really shaky.

Daichi finally upgraded to five when Young Hinata and Kageyama were attacking, the team cheered in delight and Shouyou-san promised him a meat bun. He was still at four when Shouyou-san was the one setting though, and just like Nishinoya he only managed to pick three of Shouyou-san's spikes.

Kageyama was still at four, but Asahi and Tanaka finally upgraded to three, Sugawara and Ennoshita upgraded to two. The rest was still at one.

By the end of practice Daichi upgraded to five when Shouyou-san was setting and his meat bun count upgraded to two. Nishinoya and Daichi finally managed to pick four of Shouyou-san's spikes, Sugawara and Ennoshita upgraded to three during their last try, and Narita and Kinoshita upgraded to two. Asahi and Tanaka stayed at three and the rest stayed at one.

As for setting practice, Kageyama promised to make some notes to give to the team, and Sugawara decided to help Keishin during the practices, saying he'll like to train his successor. Keishin was glad that Kinoshita, Narita, Ennoshita, and Yamaguchi showed up, and even more happy when Tanaka, Tsukishima, and Young Hinata decided to stay too.

Kageyama, Nishinoya, Daichi, and Asahi decided to practice their serves and receives with Shouyou-san during that extra hour of practice.

* * *

During Wednesday's morning practice, Young Hinata surprised everyone by asking Shouyou-san to teach him how to do a jump serve. Shouyou-san agreed immediately and in record time he had stretched and was explaining the basics to the kid.

By the end of morning practice, Shouyou-san had Young Hinata, Yamaguchi, Ennoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita hanging to his every word.

Sugawara and Daichi were looking at Older Hinata like a pair of proud parents, Nishinoya and Tanaka were crying, looking proudly at the young man like a pair of older brothers or something.

Asahi, Tsukishima, and Kageyama tried to look like they weren't paying attention at what the man was saying, but they clearly were. Keishin shared an amused look with Takeda-sensei. Serves practice just became way more interesting.

During the afternoon practice, Daichi and Nishinoya picked every ball spiked by Young Hinata, it didn't matter who was setting, both boys had received every spike perfectly.

Both boys also finally managed to pick four of Shouyou-san's spikes. The fourth one was still shaky but it was there.

Asahi, Tanaka, and Ennoshita finally upgraded to four, with Sugawara still staying at three. Narita and Kinoshita also upgraded to three, Yamaguchi finally upgraded to two, but Tsukishima and Young Hinata were still at one, also Young Hinata finally stopped receiving with his face. Kageyama finally upgraded to five at the last second, it was shaky, but it was there. Shouyou-san promised him a meat bun of his choosing.

As for setting practice, Ennoshita and Kinoshita were very good at it. It was clear that both boys have a little experience on the matter. Tanaka and Tsukishima also seemed to be decent enough.

The group was divided after that, those who seemed to have a little experience in the matter went with Sugawara and those who didn't seem to know much about it stayed with Keishin.

After the extra hour of practice was over, Nishinoya and Young Hinata surprised everyone again when they asked Shouyou-san to teach them how to receive. Once again, Shouyou-san had everyone hanging from his every word.

Keishin realized that the team was in good hands for now, and he went to check on the girls. He wanted to see how the ' _secret project_ ' was going.

* * *

Thursday's practices were a little odd.

Since Young Hinata was really inexperienced with serves, Shouyou-san asked him to first get the hang of a normal one. To practice until serving became second nature to him, tossing the ball into the air and then hitting it.

After they got the hang of tossing and hitting, Shouyou-san put many water bottles all over the court, Keishin noticed that they were numbered. Shouyou-san asked them to aim at a certain number and the guys did. Some were struggling more than others, but by the end of practice many had gotten the hang of it.

When Keishin got to the gym for afternoon practice he found Shouyou-san frowning at a paper. "Everything okay?"

"Someone gave me that today when I went to the store," Shouyou-san said and showed him the paper. Keishin recognized it, and immediately, he knew where all of this was going.

"Hey, guys," Shouyou-san called once the guys - and girls - were all there. The team looked at each other and then got closer to the both of them.

"Did you guys already took your flu shots?" Shouyou-san asked and the team looked surprised and started looking at each other worriedly. Takeda-sensei and Shimizu-san were the only ones who nodded.

Shouyou-san cursed under his breath. "Man, Omi-san is going to kill me."

_Omiwhatnow?_

"Who?" The team asked in confusion, but Shouyou-san ignored them and showed them the paper he was holding. The team unconsciously took a step back and shivered.

"We can't, we have practice," Tanaka said in a hurry.

"We can go during the weekend," Shouyou-san commented with ease.

"We have a practice match against Dateko on Saturday," Nishinoya said mimicking Tanaka's tone.

Shouyou-san looked at the paper and smiled. "Well, what do you know? They're open on Sundays." The team started to panic and in unison they turned to look at Keishin. 

"You know, it's not a bad idea at all," Keishin said and the team shivered in fear and complaints and excuses started coming left, right, and center.

"Teenagers," Shouyou-san said and sighed in exasperation, Keishin and Takeda-sensei looked at him weirdly.

"You're not that much older, you know," Keishin said and Shouyou-san chuckled.

"Aren't we the same age?" Takeda-sensei and Shimizu-san started laughing at that and Keishin scowled. _T_ _hat damn brat._

Shouyou-san cleared his throat and looked at the team, the guys finally settled down. "Listen, I'm aware that accidents happen, and that you can't do anything about it, but getting sick can actually be prevented. Athletes need to take extra care of their health, you know. Having a balanced diet, doing your stretches right, exercising, not overworking yourselves, and having a good sleeping schedule, are things that every athlete worth their two cents should do. But I guess it can't be helped, if you don't want to do it, I won't force you. Just don't come crying to me when you're stuck in bed with a fever, headaches, coughing fits, annoying running noses, while your teammates go play at Nationals without you. I'll greet everyone there for you, so no worries. It'll be fun seeing all the younger versions of my friends again," Shouyou-san said and turned around, Takeda-sensei and Keishin shared an impressed look. "Oh, he's good."

The team shared looks between them and the faces of fear were replaced with those of determination. "We'll do it," the team said in unison and Shouyou-san smiled sweetly at them. Keishin snorted, _teenagers_ indeed. They don't even realize that they were just tricked into taking a flu shot and a checkup. 

"Alright, with that out of the way, go get ready. We're gonna start practicing receiving as soon as you guys are done," Keishin said and the guys nodded at him and started getting ready.

Kageyama was still struggling with his receives, but at least now he could get all five. Daichi and Nishinoya finally managed to get five of Shouyou-san's spikes, but they were still struggling with it. Shouyou-san promised them meat buns for their efforts.

The others stayed the same as before, but Keishin could tell that the practice was helping all of them.

Young Hinata and Kageyama were getting more creative with their attacks, and the others seemed more aware of the ball and the players now. Kenshin got an idea and for the last rounds, he made the whole rotation practice normal receives. All of them managed to receive them, not all of them were perfect but the ball was up and that's what counted. Their receives were clearly improving with all that practice.

The extra setting practice was going well too, Kinoshita and Ennoshita managed to sync up with each other and with Sugawara in no time. Tsukishima had also learned the best way to make an emergency set for Tanaka to spike, but Tanaka was struggling to find the best way to set for the tall middle blocker. The other three were clearly improving too, managing to pull a decent emergency set with so little practice.

At the end of practice the girls finally presented the ' _secret project'_ to him and once Keishin got home, he sat down and started to review it, a meeting was coming soon. This new information was going to help his students a lot.

* * *

Friday's afternoon practice was the day that Daichi, Nishinoya, and Kageyama finally graduated from receives' practice. The team celebrated and after they were done, Shouyou-san took Kageyama's place as setter while the young setter went to give Nishinoya's tosses a try.

Daichi decided to stay and give a few pointers to his teammates. Asahi, Tanaka, Ennoshita, and Sugawara were still at only four receives. Narita, Kinoshita, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, and Young Hinata were still at three but it was clear that all of them were fighting hard to improve. 

"Next week, we're going to start blocking practice so be ready. Also, I want to get some spiking practice in so I'll try to have an schedule ready for Monday so we don't get sidetracked. By the way, we're going to have a meeting tomorrow before Date Tech comes here and hopefully we can also get some practice in," Keishin said and the team nodded.

"By the way, guys. Like you guys must know already, winter break is coming soon. I was planning to let you do as you always do but since Shouyou-san is here, would you guys like a training camp during the break? You don't have to answer me now, you can think about it during the weekend and inform us of your decision on Monday," Keishin suggested, but judging by the excited looks going all around the gym he was sure that it was a done deal.

During the extra hour of practice, Kageyama finally managed to sync up with Nishinoya's tosses. Kinoshita and Ennoshita managed to sync up with Daichi and Asahi. Tanaka finally found the perfect way to set for Tsukishima. Young Hinata and Yamaguchi were spiking Narita's tosses perfectly now, and Shouyou-san surprised everyone when he started coaching the newbies too.

"You're setting is really good, Shouyou-san," Sugawara commented and the older man thanked him with a smile.

"Thanks, I'm no setter, but I have played the position before in Beach Volleyball, and I also do a lot of setting during matches. People always tell me that my emergency sets are as good as 'Tsu..." The man stopped there and cleared his throat.

"I mean, as the ones from the main setter of the team, and he's an awesome setter, one of the best ones out there, so having people say that to me is really something." Keishin could pretty much hear Kageyama gritting his teeth from the other side of the room at that little comment. 

"So, you're not the setter of your team? Since you told Oikawa-san that you were a setter I thought..." Shouyou-san chuckled at Sugawara.

"I wanted to see his reaction at a little competition, but no, I'm not ASAS setter, that's Guilherme, he joined the team a year before I did so he's still pretty new at some stuff, but he's pretty good at setting. Brazilians really do have their own style of playing sometimes," the man said with a little laugh, probably remembering something that happened before.

"Do you like setting, Shouyou-san?" Sugawara asked and the man smiled widely. "Of course I like it. But spiking is still my favorite, though."

"In Beach Volleyball, you play all positions, right? How did that worked out for you?" Daichi asked and Shouyou-san thought about his answer for a little while.

"It was hard at first, moving around in the sand is really hard. So receiving, running, and jumping were really hard at first, I got the hang of it with time, though. Serving, spiking and setting were also pretty hard because of the wind, but I learned to work with it instead of against it."

"You know, I have been wanting to ask. What made you decide your new form for receiving? Why don't you leave your feet now?" Nishinoya asked and Shouyou-san looked at him.

"Well, it was easier and faster to move around in the sand that way, and I thought that it'll also be easier on my setter if I could get into position faster. By not losing my form and getting into an attacking position faster, it's easy for the setter, he gets me a better set, and it also gives us more options at attacking too. It's a win-win situation all around, so it was a no brainer really."

"But wasn't it difficult?"

"Sure it was, a lot. But it was worth it."

"Oh, man. I want to try that, teach us how to play Beach Volleyball, Shouyou-san!"

"Noya-san, I'll happily do it but we're in _Japan_ and it's _December,_ " Shouyou-san pointed out and Nishinoya's face fell. "Curse you, Japan!"

"And what about spiking with your left hand. Why did you start to do that?" Tanaka asked and Shouyou-san laughed.

"Well, I thought it was cool, and it does put a nasty spin on the ball, making it harder for the other team to pick up. I have unconsciously been doing it during matches since the finals against Shiratorizawa, but it wasn't until I started my training that I seriously started practicing spiking with my left hand."

"And how did you practice?"

"I started practicing spiking it against a wall, once I got the hang of hitting the ball with my left hand, I started practicing with a setter. After I was able to do the tempos with them, I started practicing on the beach too, that one was a little difficult because of the wind."

"Oh can we do that once our spiking practice starts?" Young Hinata asked and Keishin sighed. His students were always trying new things.

"We can try, but keep in mind that not everyone would be able to get it right," Keishin said and the team nodded excitedly at him. "Go do your stretches and clean after yourselves. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day," Keishin said and the team nodded, they seemed to be very excited to be playing Date Tech tomorrow. Probably eager to try their new moves.

Now _that_ was Karasuno.

Tomorrow is going to be a very long day.

Shouyou-san approached him as soon as he finished his stretches. "Do you want me to be there tomorrow?" Shouyou-san asked and Keishin frowned, he could hear how the team stopped what they were doing and started paying extra attention to their conversation.

Oh right, he still needs to give them a talk about not eavesdropping. Keishin gave the team a look, and they pretended to go back to their duties, Keishin sighed.

"Yes, why wouldn't I?" Shouyou-san gave him an odd look.

"Look, I know Oikawa-san and people around the school already saw me, but are you okay with Date Tech seeing me?" Shouyou-san asked and the team gasped. Keishin gave them another look and the guys went back to their stretches. Or at least, they pretended to.

"Are _you_ okay with it?"

"I don't think I mind. I think I can pull off the big brother act again. Besides, if there's someone who can figure out who I really am, then they aren't at Date Tech for sure. Nationals is what worries me," Shouyou-san said and Keishin and the team frowned.

There was someone at Nationals who could figure all of this out just by what? Looking at him? It took them a little to get it, even after almost a week of the man being here, Keishin still couldn't believe it sometimes, and he was pretty sure that it was the same for the rest of the team.

Just who was this person?

Keishin sighed and turned to look at the team, who were nodding at him enthusiastically. "If you're okay with it, and and we're okay with it, then I don't see a problem. You should be here tomorrow. Watch carefully how the guys play and maybe give them some pointers or something, whatever you think works best," Keishin said and Shouyou-san nodded.

"I'm gonna be late, though. I have to go set up the appointments for Sunday," Shouyou-san informed and Keishin and the team shivered.

Right, the doctor's appointment, for all of them, including _him_. He should've listened to his mom and taken the flu shot sooner. "Well then, see you guys here tomorrow. Let's break the Iron Wall once again before leaving for Nationals."

"Yeah!"

* * *

* * *

_(Turning back time a little.)_

**_Thursday, September 15, 2022._ **

**_Rome, Italy._ **

As soon as the news started to spread around Japan, the groupchats and media posts started going wild.

Tobio ignored his phone and continued to shove things into his suitcase. He was going to take a plane straight to São Paulo and no one was going to stop him.

Miya-san didn't have many details, the Jackals only knew what the person who called them knew.

Hinata had disappeared Tuesday morning, and there were no signs of a break in at his apartment, no one has called to ask for anything yet, and the police didn't have any leads as of now. Hinata just disappeared out of nowhere. Tobio shoved his clothes into his suitcase a little more harshly than before.

There was a knock at the door and Tobio groaned in annoyance, but he went and opened the door anyway.

Coach Lorenzo stared back at him with a worried look on his face. "I heard what happened, and I wanted to check on you since you didn't show up for practice," the old man said and Tobio greeted him and let him in.

Tobio was glad that it was him the one who came looking for Tobio. The man was one of the few people around here who Tobio could actually communicate with. Even after all this time, Tobio's Italian was still not good enough, but his English at least was decent enough to carry a conversation. The man was also saving him time, he needed to talk to him anyway.

Coach Lorenzo looked around his apartment and sighed. "As I thought. You're leaving, aren't you?"

"Please, let me go. The closest thing I have to a best friend might be in danger right now, and I don't know what to do. I just ask for a few days off, we don't have any official matches coming soon, and as far as practice matches go, you said you wanted to start testing and training the new backup setter, right? So, this is your chance to do that," Tobio said and the man held up a hand to placate him.

"Relax, kid. I'm a family man, I understand what you're going through. We talked about it, you can have some days off. You haven't taken a break in a while anyway, so it won't affect you. Don't worry about us, we know that the team and your career is important to you, but your friend is a human being, someone made out of flesh and blood, someone fragile. With your talent and dedication, you can build your career again in no time, but if something happens to that boy, you'll lose him forever. So go, we support you. The manager already landed you a spot on the next flight to Brazil. You're plane leaves in two hours, don't miss it," Coach Lorenzo said and handed him an envelope with the ticket and a form to sign for his vacation. Tobio sighed and thanked the man, and he signed the papers.

"We'll be here once you're ready to come back," Coach Lorenzo said as he was leaving. "That is, if you still have a will to go on," the man whispered under his breath and Tobio pretended not to hear him.

Hinata was going to come back, he always does. "Good luck, son," the man said and Tobio thanked him again and closed the door.

He needed to get everything ready. He has a plane to catch.

_**Friday, September 16, 2022** _

_**São Paulo, Brazil.** _

Tobio finally made it to São Paulo after spending almost thirteen hours on a plane, although it felt more like thirty.

It's a good thing that Tobio has visited Hinata before, because otherwise he'll be completely lost right now.

After a little shenanigans with the languages, he finally managed to get someone to drive him to Hinata's apartment. Someone has to be there right? In case something happens, or Hinata comes back.

After paying the man and getting a little lost while looking for, first the right floor, and then the right door, Tobio finally managed it. He took a deep breath and rang the bell and then waited.

It took some time but Tobio finally managed to hear some footsteps approaching, not long after that the door was opening and Tobio stared in shock at the face looking back at him.

"Huh? What are you doing here?" Tobio asked, a little glad that he could speak in Japanese again but he sure as hell didn't show it.

Miya Atsumu widened his eyes at him and then sighed in understanding. "I could've asked ya the same thing, ya know? But I won't, cuz I get it." Miya-san moved aside and let Tobio in.

Tobio nodded in thanks and remembered to take off his shoes. Even though they were living in different countries now, that little habit never changed. "Come on, we're waitin' fer the news to start."

" _We_?"

Miya-san looked at him and sighed. "Kenma-kun reached out to Bokkun, and we tagged along."

_Kenma-kun?_

Once Tobio and Miya-san reached the kitchen, Tobio realized what the older setter had meant.

Sitting alone in a corner of the room was Sakusa-san, drinking some kind of tea. Bokuto-san was sitting close to the TV, paying extra attention to the news playing on the screen, carefully reading the fast Japanese subtitles on the screen. Kozume-san was sitting close to him, furiously tapping away on a tablet, and sneaking little glances to the TV here and there.

Near the stove was someone speaking rapidly on the phone, Tobio didn't understand anything of what the young man was saying but he recognized the language as Portuguese.

Once the man turned around to look at them, Tobio realized who he was, Hinata's former roommate.

Tobio gave the room a once over and sighed, guess he wasn't the only one crazy enough to fly straight to São Paulo once he heard the news.

This was going to be a very long break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, would you look at that, no cliffhanger this chapter. Or at least I think so? That's not a cliffhanger, right? Anyway, Date Tech is coming next chapter and also the 'secret project' would finally be revealed. 
> 
> QOTD: Who's going to win the practice match? What's the secret project? Find out next chapter!
> 
> *Who's your favorite Dateko player? Mine's Aone-san, I used to be super quiet during my High School years so I can relate.
> 
> Now QUESTIONS and EXPLANATIONS.
> 
> 1\. - Some older characters have been kinda revealed now and let me tell you, there's a reason why those characters are there. They aren't just random or because I like them. They're there for a reason so keep an eye on them but don't jump to conclusions just yet be patient. Does anyone know how much does it take to travel from Rome to São Paulo? I made some research and I got 12-15 hours, so I went with 13, but if it's wrong then tell me and I'll correct that.
> 
> 2\. - In case you're wondering, Hinata was actually a Coach in Rio. He taught kids and tourists. All ASAS and Ali Roma's names are made up, they aren't canon. Kinoshita's JH story is also made up.
> 
> 3.- I looked for a date for the Date Tech vs Karasuno match, but couldn't find one, (besides 'next week' and 'less than a month before Nationals') I don't know if I missed it, or there's just isn't any, but based on how everyone was acting I think the practice match happened right after they came back from their camps, probably on the first or second week rather than closer to Nationals, so I decided to go with the first weekend after everyone came back. That's why it's happening now instead of later.
> 
> 4\. - And I think that's it, like I said before, this chapter is just filler, just setting some stuff up for the future. By the way, if any of you play Volleyball seriously and some of the things in the chapter don't sound believable to you, I'm sorry. I haven't played Volleyball since Junior High and I always played for fun, my siblings were the athletics ones, I was more of a crafts and writing kind of person. I got second and then first place (not bragging) in some writing competitions against other schools, but I never played sports seriously, just for fun with my friends and siblings, so sorry if I got some things wrong. If you have any questions fire away in the comments, I'm all ears or eyes. You get it.
> 
> *Me watching my nieces and nephews: *sigh* teenagers.  
> *My siblings: Oh, shut up! *angry looks*
> 
> So anyway, take care of your health. Wear a mask, don't go out if you don't have to, wash your hands constantly, get the vaccine if you can, it's nothing out of this world, trust me. Stay safe, stay healthy. Have a nice weekend and I'll write to you guys later, bye.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	7. The King and The Challengers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The managers' secret project is finally revealed. Date Tech comes to challenge Karasuno.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone. I'm back at it again with a new chapter! Hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Okay, I know everyone wants to get into the chapter already, but give me a minute here, I've something to say. I want to thank everyone who commented on the last chapter (#6). As you know, I posted last chapter on Friday morning, and unfortunately that day in the afternoon we got the news that one my cousins had died. I'm the youngest in my family and I also moved away from where the rest of my family lives at a very young age, so I didn't really had a closer relationship with him as the rest of my family did, but it did affect me, especially because it affected my family more, and I know many people out there believe that the youngest of the family are the spoiled brats of the family, and that might be true in other families but not in mine. When my parents and siblings are losing it, I have to be the strong one, I have to be the support, the voice of reason, I can't lose my mind too, and your comments helped me to not overthink things and to concentrate on my family and this story, so thank so much for commenting, your comments always mean a lot to me, but the ones from last chapter just meant a little more. For those of you who don't comment because you're shy or don't think that I care about what you have to say or something, let me tell you, your comments make my day, I love reading what you have to say about this story, I love reading your theories and thoughts, I love reading how invested you are in this story and how excited you get about it, so don't be afraid, don't be shy, rant at me all you want in that little comment section, I love to hear from you.
> 
> Anyway, moving on. Thank you for all the support that you have been giving to this story, all the comments, kudos, bookmarks, etc. I love every single one of you. 
> 
> Once again, sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language and I also don't have a beta so feel free to point any mistakes out to me, I won't get mad, pinky promise.
> 
> Happy reading!

Keishin looked at the gym doors and sighed, he hopes that this project that the managers had worked so hard on for the whole week is helpful to the team.

No, that's not right, he knows it will be helpful, the thing is, he's afraid of what this information could do to his students. It could motivate them to become way better than they already are, or it could break their spirits completely.

Well, he won't know what is going to happen until he's done showing it to them. He just hopes they don't take everything the wrong way.

Keishin opened the doors and was met with the sight of his students stretching while Takeda-sensei and the girls were getting everything ready.

Date Tech would be arriving a little bit after lunchtime, so Keishin only has a few hours to do this meeting and the warm ups before the practice match starts.

Keishin greeted his students and they greeted him back. "Finish stretching and then go for your morning run, after you're done, gather around the bench, we're having a meeting today," Keishin said, the team nodded at him, and he started to get everything ready for the meeting.

The girls had done a great job with their research, they put everything important on paper and made copies for each one of the boys and the coaches, they even made spares in case someone lost their copy and needed a new one, and they made an incredible video and presentation with all the information that they found online.

Keishin was so proud of the managers, the girls had done a lot for the team with this. He hopes that everyone appreciates the efforts and that the team finds a good way to repay them. The girls really deserve something good for doing this, for finding so much information about their future challengers.

Not long after Keishin finished setting everything up, Takeda-sensei and the girls finished their duties too. "You're worrying too much, Ukai-kun," Takeda-sensei said as he and the girls approached him. Yachi-san looked confused but Shimuzu-san nodded in agreement with her teacher.

"This won't break our boys' spirits, is going to make them stronger, you'll see," Shimizu-san commented and Keishin sighed.

They were right, he was worrying too much, he knows his boys, he knows how they are. They never back down, no matter what. They're survivors, not quitters.

"I win," the voice of Hinata-kun could be heard coming closer and closer. The gym doors were suddenly opened and in walked Kageyama.

"I'm the first one in, so I win," Kageyama proclaimed as he came inside with a smug smile on his face.

"Only because you cheated!" The smaller boy said as he tried to push the setter away from the entrance of the gym so he could enter too, but the taller boy didn't budge an inch.

"You own me a meat bun now, you do know that right?" Kageyama asked as he looked down at the smaller boy. Hinata-kun huffed in annoyance. "But you cheated!"

"Did I?"

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"You did."

"Did not."

" _Did_."

" _Didn't_."

"Are you almost done?" Daichi's voice suddenly came from behind the two boys and both boys flinched and stopped arguing and let the rest of the team in.

Shimizu-san and Takeda-sensei gave Keishin a look that clearly said ' _See? Nothing to worry about_.' Keishin sighed again and looked at his team as the managers hurried to give the boys their towels and drinks. Yeah, his boys are strong. Stronger than anyone gives them credit for.

Keishin looked at the team, all of them were sitting on the floor in front of him looking expectantly at him. Keishin shared looks with Sensei and the girls, the three nodded at him and Keishin cleared his throat and looked at the team again.

"As you guys already know, the managers have been working on something during the week, anyone have any guesses about what it could be?" Keishin asked and the guys looked at each other and then sighed, and as one, they turned to look at Tsukishima, who rolled his eyes at them.

"Based on the questions they were asking Older Hinata the other day, I'm guessing is information about the teams that we might face at Nationals," Tsukishima said and Keishin groaned.

"You guys really need to stop eavesdropping on conversations," Keishin growled at the team who at least had the decency to look ashamed of their actions.

"But anyway, Tsukishima is right. We already know that Nekoma and Fukurodani are going, and thanks to the summer training camp, we already know how they operate, but just like Shiratorizawa, there are others schools out there who've gained a reputation for representing their prefectures at Nationals. Thanks to Shouyou-san, and the research of the girls, we managed to narrowed it down to what we can call the top three at the competition right now. Current Inter-High champions, Itachiyama Institute from Tokyo. That's the #1 school in the nation right now, their ace, Sakusa Kiyoomi, is one of the nation's top three aces this year, and the only second-year in that roster. The guy is very well known for not only his offense, but his defense too. Their libero is known as high school's #1 libero, and along with Sakusa, he attended the All-Japan Youth Camp."

"They have two All-Japan players in their team?" The boys shouted in surprise and Kageyama confirmed it.

Keishin cleared his throat to get their attention again and continue his explanation. "Inarizaki High is the powerhouse famous for representing Hyogo at Nationals. They placed second during the Inter-High, and are now one of the nation's favorites to win the Spring Tournament. Just like Itachiyama, they also have an All-Japan player in their team, setter Miya Atsumu, who is well known as high school's #1 setter and a great server. Their ace is one of the nation's top five, but once he gets serious, he's pretty much top three in my opinion. From what I have seen, their libero is pretty good too, but the ones who worry me the most are their middle blocker, Suna Rintaro, and their opposite hitter, Miya Osamu. Their ace and those two seem to be their top three scorers. The last school that we should be worry about is Kamomedai High from Nagano. They only managed to make it into the quarterfinals during the Inter-High, but they left quite an impression on everyone there. Their blocking is among one of the best in the nation, and their serves are no laughing matter. From what I have seen, almost all of their starters have mastered either the jump serve or the jump floater." Those who haven't mastered any of those, looked a little depressed at that little fact.

"And just like the other two schools, they also have an All-Japan player in their team. Their outside hitter, Hoshiumi Korai, he's their current ace and is very well known for being an all-rounder and an expert of midair battles. Their coach is also someone with experience in the pro-leagues," Keishin commented. Some of the boys gasped, even Kageyama looked surprised at that little piece of information, that confirmed Keishin's theory that he hadn't heard about that little fact during his stay at the camp.

"Those three, along with Nekoma and Fukurodani, are some of the schools we need to worry the most about. Of course, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't worry about the other teams, but these teams are without a doubt, the biggest challengers that we might encounter at Nationals. The girls put together a video, in there you would be shown some of the best plays of your opponents, after you watch the video we can discuss some of the players and strategies that you are about to see, and you will receive some papers with information that you will need to remember," Keishin said and took a deep breath, he looked at his students and smiled reassuringly at them.

"Is everyone ready?" Keishin asked and the boys nodded at him.

Keishin pressed play and sat down, he didn't need to watch the video, he has watched it many times already, reviewing it again and again and making notes that he later gave to the girls to add to their observations.

So, he decided to look at the reactions of the team instead. The video started with Itachiyama and it was really no surprise that the boys seemed to be in awe of Sakusa, if the boys had been afraid of Ushiwaka, then they semeed absolutely terrified of the second-year, but they also seemed to be very excited. Itachiyama's libero also gathered a lot of attention, especially with Daichi, Nishinoya, and Hinata-kun.

The video then changed to Inarizaki, showing some of Miya Atsumu's best sets, Keishin was pretty sure that whatever he was seeing in Kageyama's and Sugawara's eyes right now was definitely jealousy, as a setter himself, he could understand, he also had the same reaction when he saw the video for the very first time.

Miya Atsumu was truly an amazing setter, Keishin didn't want to say it, but the guy seemed to be years ahead of Oikawa and even Kageyama. There was just something about that guy that set him apart from those two, but Keishin still couldn't put his finger on it.

As soon as the segment of Miya Atsumu's best serves started playing the guys looked absolutely terrified and that was definitely envy in their eyes, but then the guys discovered that Atsumu is a dual-wielder and all hell broke loose for a moment.

Keishin paused the video and reminded the team that they only had a few hours for this meeting before Date Tech got here. The boys finally settled down and Keishin continued to play the video.

Atsumu wasn't just good at serving and setting. His blocking, receiving and spiking were no laughing matter either. The guy's game sense was clearly something to fear, Keishin was pretty sure that it would only take one look at the freak quick for the guy to get used to it.

But of course, you couldn't have Miya Atsumu without his other half, soon his twin brother, Miya Osamu, came into the screen and the guys realized that they weren't just dealing with one incredible player but _two_.

As soon as the video started focusing on their amazing teamwork, everyone realized that those two weren't afraid of trying new stuff in the middle of an important game. Their teamwork was incredible and truly terrifying, but knowing that they weren't afraid to take risks is what really makes you fear them, you never know what you would end up dealing with, no matter how much you prepare to face them, they would always end up surprising you.

The rest of Inarizaki seemed to be just the same as the twins, they weren't afraid to take risks, making the team completely unpredictable and they sure were impressive.

Keishin wasn't sure if the techniques that they used against Ushiwaka would work against Ojiro Aran. After seeing him play, even if it was just through a video, he really couldn't understand why the guy wasn't top three.

Inarizaki's libero was also pretty good and Nishinoya was clearly impressed with the guy, but the one who seemed to worry the guys more than the twins, was the middle blocker, Suna Rintaro. Even if he was a little short for his position the guy was an incredible blocker, but the thing that seemed to worry the guys the most was the things that the guy could do with his torso.

Tsukishima couldn't take his eyes away from the middle blocker, and the expression on his face clearly said that he knew he wouldn't be able to stop him.

After Inarizaki came Kamomenai and that's when the guys and Keishin truly started to worry, but not for how good the team seemed to be, but because of Hinata-kun's reaction.

As soon as Hoshiumi came into the screen, Hinata-kun excused himself from the group and got closer to the screen. The small boy was expressionless, but his eyes were watching the screen with an intensity that Keishin has never seen before. Keishin swallowed and turned his eyes away from the boy, not able to look him in the eye.

Seeing Shouyou-san in action had been hard, but seeing Hoshiumi in action had been a slap to the face for Keishin, it's like the universe was letting him know how bad of a teacher he was. All this time they have been doing what's best for the team, but in doing so, they have wasted and suppressed a lot of Hinata-kun's potential.

Seeing Shouyou-san talk about Brazil with such a big smile on his face and so carefree, made Keishin wonder if Kageyama and the rest of Karasuno was nothing but a cage around the small boy.

Hinata-kun never feared or wavered in front of powerful players who were bigger, taller, and stronger than him, but Keishin didn't know how the little guy would react to someone who was in the same situation as him, someone who managed to be everything Hinata-kun had dreamed about.

People were always telling Hinata that he couldn't be what he wanted to be, that it was impossible, but Hoshiumi was the living proof that it wasn't impossible, that you only needed the right support and opportunities.

Hinata was born gifted but cursed, and Hoshiumi was born gifted and blessed, that was the difference between them, but it was such big difference.

The video finished by showing some of Nekoma's and Fukurodani's best plays and players, once the screen turned black, Keishin stood up and cleared his throat to get his students attention.

"Okay, that's some of the information your amazing managers managed to find," Keishin said and the guys thanked the girls warmly.

"So, now is time to discuss some of the teams. Who do you want to start with?" The guys seemed to be undecided on the matter, so Keishin decided to start with the first team in the video, Itachiyama.

"As I said before, Itachiyama are the current champions and have gained a reputation for representing Tokyo. All of their starting players are really good but as you saw in the video, there are three that stand out the most. Setter and Captain Iizuna Tsukasa, who is known for winning the the best setter award in the Junior's Olympic Cup. As you have seen in the video, he's clever and dedicated. He might not be in the same level as Kageyama or Miya, but his quick thinking, cleverness, experience, and dedication make up for it. He's probably on the same level as Oikawa and Akaashi, but he certainly seems to have more experienced with playing against top teams. Don't underestimate him, remember that he has already gone against an All-Japan setter and won. Another one who also stands out is their libero, Komori Motoya. He's known as high school's #1 libero and is an All-Japan player. As you saw on the video his defensive skills and great court awareness is truly something else. He reacts and adapts quickly to any situation, and he doesn't seem to crack under stress. And the most to stand out in that team is their ace, Sakusa Kiyoomi. A very talented player, he's a top three ace and an All-Japan player. Unlike many aces out there, he doesn't just concentrate on offense. He's considered one of the best defenders of his team, with his best defense being his serve reception. He also seems to be very capable at setting and blocking. As for his hitting, compared to Ushijima and Kiryū, he's definitely lacking in power, but his best weapon, his very flexible wrists, and his cleverness make up for it. His wrists flexibility give a very nasty spin to his spikes and serves, making it very difficult to receive or block. It doesn't matter how perfect your position is, the ball would just end up ricocheting. That little gift of his, that makes such unique shots, accompanied with his cleverness, great technique, incredible consistency, and accuracy is what makes him such a formidable player, and what put him in the top three at such a young age. I haven't seen them in person yet, but I'm pretty sure that his spikes and serves are way harder to deal with than Ushijima's left-handed spikes and serves."

The team's eyes widened at that, everyone knew just how hard dealing with Ushiwaka had been, and this guy was definitely better than him. Keishin knows that Sakusa has already lost to Ushiwaka before, but he knew that the young spiker has a big chance to surpass him one day, the guy clearly has the talent and dedication to do it, he just needs more experience.

"There's something else too. Iizuna, Sakusa, and Komori, seem to have amazing teamwork, and a great connection on the court. Itachiyama managed to do something that is very important in Volleyball, but that you don't see often. A strong bond between the libero, setter, and ace. When face with a tight spot, those three are going to trust each other more than anyone else on that court, so keep that in mind. On your papers, you're going to find more information about Itachiyama and strategies to deal with them if you happen to face them in the future. Read over that information carefully and don't lose those papers, you can also ask one of your managers for a copy of the video if you're interested in seeing it again," Keishin informed the team and signaled to the girls to give the stack of papers to the boys.

"Moving on, Inarizaki. Another powerhouse and another favorite to win it all at Nationals. They're #2 in the nation right now, they have already defeated top three ace Kiryū, and managed to to go head-to-head against Itachiyama during the Inter-High. Their strongest hitters are their ace, Ojiro Aran. The short middle blocker, Suna Rintaro and opposite hitter, Miya Osamu. As you saw on the video, their other players are nothing to laugh about, especially their Captain and libero, but the one who's going to cause more trouble is definitely their setter and best server, Miya Atsumu. He's known as high school's #1 setter and server, he's also an All-Japan player. Kageyama, you met him at the camp, right? As a setter yourself, what do you think of him?"

Kageyama certainly didn't look happy to be talking about the guy and it was clear that he didn't like the guys title at all, but he answered the question anyway. "Supposedly, the way he sets the ball makes it look and feel like the spikers have gotten better, one of the coaches called it bewitching the spikers," Kageyama said and Tanaka and Nishinoya laughed.

"What is he? A witch?" Keishin gave them a look and the two boys settled down.

"To be honest," Kageyama continued. "He's sets are very easy to hit, they're consistent and don't waver." Some of the boys raised their eyebrows at that. They looked utterly surprised that Kageyama was actually admitting that. "He told me that anyone who can't hit his tosses is because they just suck."

Hinata-kun looked at Kageyama in surprise. "Really?" Hinata-kun asked and Kageyama nodded. "Yeah, someone at the camp said that he can make an amateur look good."

"Why are super awesome setters always jerks?"

"What's that supposed to mean, boke?!" Kageyama shouted and Hinata-kun flinched away from him.

Keishin cleared his throat to get his students attention again. "Anyway, but as you already saw, his setting is not going to be the only problem. He's a dual-wielder, he has mastered both the spike serve and the jump floater, just like with Shouyou-san, you'll never know what he'll hit you with until the very last second and it'll be very hard to form a serve-receive formation."

"I heard that he won the best server award at both the Inter-Middle and Inter-High tournaments," Kageyama commented and some of the guys groaned and said that they didn't need to know that. Kageyama apologized, but the damage was already done.

"Anyway, as you already saw you can't stop him even if you send a serve or a spike at him. His receives are pretty good, he can set any ball in the first touch, and even if he does a pass, his twin would be there to cover for him," Keishin commented and the guys groaned. "He also doesn't seem to crack under pressure, on the contrary, the better the game, the better he plays."

"Doesn't he have any weak spots? What is he? Mr. Perfect?" Sugawara asked with huff of annoyance and a dark aura around him that made those who were close to him to flinch away from him, Daichi sighed. "Get a grip, Suga."

The doors of the gym suddenly opened and in walked Shouyou-san with his cheeks flushed from the cold and a clearly tired look on his face. Did he bike all the way from the clinic to here?

The team greeted him in excitement and the redhead greeted them back, Yachi-san offered the man some water and he took it gratefully. "Sorry, it took longer than I was expecting but everything is ready for tomorrow," Shouyou-san said and the team shivered and groaned. The guys clearly haven't forgotten just what was awaiting them tomorrow, Shouyou-san gave the team an amused look and started drinking his water.

"I'm glad." _Not really_. "And you have perfect timing actually, we're in the middle of the meeting I told you about."

"Oh, yeah. The secret project," Older Hinata said once he swallowed his water. "How are things going?"

"Well, they already saw the video," Keishin said and he noticed that Shouyou-san looked carefully at the boy's expressions. "Something wrong?"

 _He noticed, huh_.

"Well..." Keishin drawled and Shouyou-san gave him a weird look.

"Is a good thing that you're here, the guys might like your opinion on something." Shouyou-san looked at the team but the boys looked down.

Shouyou-san raised an eyebrow. "Really? It doesn't look like that," the man said and took a sip of his water again.

Keishin looked at the guys and after a few gestures and looks, Keishin sighed and looked at Shouyou-san.

"The guys want your opinion on Miya Atsumu," Keishin said and Shouyou-san choked on his water and started coughing.

Yachi-san started to panic and tried to help the man, but Older Hinata told her that it was okay and that he was fine. Shouyou-san turned to look at the team who had their eyebrows raised at him, the older redhead sighed. "What about him?"

"What do you think of his serves?"

"His serves, huh," Shouyou-san said and then sighed. "Besides being awesome, they're terrifying and unpredictable. His spike serve is powerful and fast, and just like Oikawa-san, he has great ball control and is smart enough to know where to aim. His jump floater is fast and very unpredictable, you might think is an out, or that is going one way, but it suddenly changes direction at the last second. Like I said before, he has great control of his serves and knows where to aim, he also likes to target people, once he discovers a weakness, he's going to explore it until you either overcome it, or he gets bored of it and comes with a better strategy to torture you. Dealing with him as a server is going to be even more difficult than dealing with Oikawa-san or Ushijima-san. Just when you think he's gonna go for one type of serve he changes it to another one. He is high school's best server after all."

"So there really isn't a way to know what serve he's gonna use until he does it?" Tanaka asked and Shouyou-san thought about it. "For _now_ , there is _one_ ," Shouyou-san said and then turned to look directly at Keishin. "You haven't figured it out yet?"

"I have," Keishin said and the guys turned to look in surprise at him. Keishin went back to the video and started looking for the perfect clip to show the guys.

"Miya Atsumu has some very _peculiar_ habits regarding his serves. When he's going for a spike serve, he takes six steps from the end line, and when he's going for a jump floater, he takes four steps, watch this," Keishin said and showed them the clips he had been looking for.

The guys were definitely impressed. Although, Keishin was a little surprised that none of his students figured it out while watching the video the first time around, especially Kageyama, who already saw the guy playing in person.

"But even if you figured that out, that's just the starting line, he's unpredictable, don't underestimate him," Shouyou-san commented and the guys nodded in understanding.

"And his setting? What do you think of that?" Sugawara asked and Shouyou-san turned to look at him and sighed long and hard.

"Miya Atsumu's setting is something that you won't truly understand, even if you see it on a video, even if is described to you, you just won't get it, not until you see it in person. There are good setters, smart setters, and amazing setters, but that guy is on another level. It doesn't matter what happens, he's going to give you a perfect set every time. He can set a ball from anywhere in the court, it doesn't matter if is the first touch or the second touch, it doesn't matter how well or how awkward the receive was, or how high or low the ball is going, he's going to do everything in his power and more to make that perfect set for his spikers, and he's gonna do it _every_ _single time_ , whatever it takes. He really can make a perfect set with any ball, it makes me so jealous. There's no setter out there who is more considerate or extremely dedicated to his spikers. He can read them like a book, he knows their weaknesses and their strengths, he knows what works and what doesn't, and he always knows who to trust during a game, he's really hard to read too, you won't know who he's going to toss to until the last minute, to be honest, not even his spikers know. You might think he's gonna go for his brother or for their ace, even they might think he's gonna go for them, but at the last second, he chooses someone else. The difference between you guys and Inarizaki, is that you use Shouyou-kun as a decoy, but Inarizaki doesn't have a decoy, Atsumu-san makes a decoy out of them. He's going to make the monsters dance to his tune, not the other way around. Going against him is truly terrifying, he's unpredictable and while he might not look it, he's smart, and he sure as hell isn't afraid to take risks, to try something new when you least expect it, and he's talented and dedicated enough to actually pull that off perfectly on the first try. Also, you _can't_ break him, the better the game, the better the players, the sharper his concentration gets, and the more excited he becomes, he just plays better if you give him a good game and good players. People like him, the ones who can evolve during a game, are truly terrifying, you never know what their going to hit you with."

" _You're_ admitting that?" The team asked in unison and Shouyou-san looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"He's clueless."

"What do you mean by there's no setter out there that is more dedicated to his spikers than him? I don't get it," Daichi asked and Shouyou-san sighed.

"Let's put it this way, if on the court, Oikawa-san can be described as the definition of _unity_ because of the way he handles his team. Ushijima-san as the definition of _power_ because of his overwhelming presence during the game. Kenma as the definition of _intelligence_ because of his cleverness and observation skills. And Kageyama as the definition of _talent_ because of the way he manages to make miracles out on the court, then Miya Atsumu is the definition of _love_ , he takes care of his spikers like no one else does, that guy truly is the ideal setter."

"What did you just said?!" Kageyama asked in anger.

"My, it looks like the King was replaced," Tsukishima said with a smirk.

"Tsukishima!"

Kageyama suddenly got up from the floor and in a flash he was in front of the older redhead. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying he's better than me? Or that I don't love Volleyball and setting as much as he does?! That I don't respect my spikers?!" Kageyama asked and Shouyou-san's eyes flared in anger.

"Now listen here, young man," Shouyou-san said. The man hadn't raised his voice but his eyes and his tone clearly gave away just how angry he was. Kageyama was so surprised at that, that he actually took a step back.

Hinata-kun has never being afraid of confronting the young setter and telling him how it is, but Hinata-kun also tended to walk on eggshells around Kageyama. But Shouyou-san was older and wiser, more confident, and mature, and he sure as hell wasn't going to take any crap from a _teenager_.

"Don't put words in my mouth that _I_ haven't said. There are things that you can do, that Miya Atsumu would probably never be able to do, but there are also many things that Miya Atsumu can do, that you probably would never be able to do. That's because he's Miya Atsumu and you're Kageyama Tobio. You guys are totally different, you guys are different people and different setters. But, take it from someone who has tried everything out on that court, there's a difference between being in a position because you're good at it or because is what's best for your team. There's a difference between liking a position, wanting a position, and _falling in love_ with a position. That _tiny little_ difference is what makes the difference out there," Shouyou-san said and pointed straight at the court.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that there's a difference between wanting something and getting it because you're good at it, and finding out what you were meant to do and fighting to get it. There's a difference between starting at level zero and starting at level ten. Take him for example," Shouyou-san said and pointed straight at Hinata-kun. "You think he wants to be a middle blocker? Of course he doesn't, and to be honest is a position that wastes a lot of his potential, but he doesn't say anything about it because he wants to play Volleyball, and because is where his team needs him right now, and let me tell you something, by the time that kid leaves this gym with a diploma on his hands, he's gonna like that position, and he's gonna be damn good at it, but that's not the position that he wants to play, he hasn't found it yet."

"Don't make this about being an ace and the Little Giant, we're not..."

"This isn't about the Little Giant, it never was. Watching the Little Giant on that screen that one day is not what made him love spiking, is what got him interested in Volleyball, what made him love spiking was spiking a ball for the very first time in his life. And let me tell you something, if it had been someone like Atsumu-san or Noya-san in that screen instead of the Little Giant that day, then the result would've been the same. Because guys like them make you believe that you can do it too. When they play, they look like they're having fun, like they're enjoying it, and they make it look so easy that you can't help but admire them from a distance. They look like that's what they were born to do. Maybe a spiker never liked spiking until he battled three blockers and came up victorious with a perfect spike. Maybe a blocker never liked blocking until they blocked someone so powerful that not even they believed that they could do it. Maybe a libero never liked receiving until they made that perfect receive in the most critical moment and saved their team. Maybe a setter never liked setting until they made that perfect toss that made everyone go wild. And maybe a pinch server never liked serving until they landed that perfect serve that they've been imagining for so long. Those tiny little moments is what makes the difference out there, some people know what they want to do with their life, others have to find that purpose with time. At this age, I don't expect you to get it, but at least, respect a player's efforts."

The team looked between Shouyou-san and Kageyama, it was clear that many understood what the older redhead was talking about, the ones who've already had those moments, the ones who already found their position out on that court, those were the ones whose eyes were shining in understanding, but there were many who still looked a little confused, who still didn't get it.

What happens on that court during intense games are not miracles, they have nothing to do with luck, it's all about dedication and determination. Is about practicing until your body is begging you to stop, is about pouring blood, sweat, and tears into every practice and every game, is about finding new ways to improve, about fighting with tooth and nails to stay on that court a little longer than before.

Is not like Kageyama didn't put effort into this, is not like Kageyama wasn't giving it his all out there, is not like Kageyama didn't struggle to get where he is now, but things were definitely easier for someone as gifted and talented as Kageyama, someone who clearly was born to play Volleyball. Kageyama might never understand what it means to be an underdog.

People like Oikawa, and apparently Miya Atsumu, even Hinata, they have to start from the very bottom. They weren't born gifted, they have to make that talent bloom. They weren't born with skills, they have to polish those skills. They weren't born powerful, they have to become strong on their own. They weren't born geniuses, they have to slowly wake up their minds. They can't stop climbing, or they're going to get left behind. They have to fight for opportunities and recognition. They have to fight talent with hard work. That was the curse of the ordinary, a curse people like Kageyama, and many others out there would never understand. Welcome to Level 0, King of the Court.

"Kageyama," Keishin said when he noticed that the tension in the room started to rise. "Go back to your place, we have to finish the meeting." Kageyama nodded curtly and went back to his spot besides Hinata-kun. "What about the rest of Inarizaki, Shouyou-san?"

The older redhead hummed. "They're definitely a team that goes more for power than speed, but that doesn't mean that they can't do speed based attacks. Ojiro Aran is very powerful and very clever, if he sees an opportunity he's going to take it. Power wise, he's definitely on the same level as Ushijima-san but I don't know, it's like he has more stamina or something, maybe he's just faster than him. He's very good at defense too and he's quick on his feet, so making him take a knee is not going to work as much as it'll work against another ace. He can battle three blockers with ease, but putting pressure on him _does_ work, not for long though. He's game sense is nowhere near as sharp as Atsumu-san's, but he has incredible timing, like I said before, if he sees an opportunity, he's going to take it, your 'total defense' strategy might work against him, but I have a feeling that he's gonna notice it and he's gonna try to do something about it. So be careful, he's not Ushijima-san or Bokuto-san, so don't treat him like you'll treat them. The other outside hitter, their #5, definitely goes more for speed than power, he also tends to get reckless under pressure, but it doesn't last long, either. He's good with receives too and he also has a powerful jump serve just like Ojiro-san. And of course, even if you manage to tame Miya Atsumu, his twin brother, Miya Osamu, would be there to cause you a lot of trouble. He's another one of their players with a powerful jump serve, he's also very good at receiving and blocking too, just like their #5, he's more of a speed attacker than a power attacker, and he's very clever too, he likes to trick the blockers. Osamu-san is also an incredible setter, so even if Atsumu-san won't be there to set the ball for whatever reason, Osamu-san would be there do it for him, and he's gonna do it _right_. Also, just like his brother, he's not afraid of experimenting in the middle of a game, so watch out for when those two team up. Their #2, the tall and scary looking middle blocker, is also a very capable player all around, but what worries me the most about him, is that I have a feeling that he can tell when you're trying to bait him into blocking someone and won't fall for it, but the middle blocker that worries me the most is their #10, Suna Rintaro. You have seen what he can do, right?" Shouyou-san asked and the team nodded.

"Just like Atsumu-san, he has a very sharp game sense, but Suna-san's is definitely on a higher level. He can adapt quickly to the pace and attacks of the other team, he's definitely going to get used to the quick attack, so be careful. He can manipulate the blockers very easily, and the better that they are at it, the easier that is for him to do it. Just like their #5 and #11, he's also a speed attacker but that doesn't mean that his attacks lack power, Atsumu-san is definitely going to give him the difficult shots. As for his special technique, I'll say that not blocking and concentrating on receiving is the better option, but I'm pretty sure that he can use that against you, the best strategy would be to have one blocker on him who works with the people on the back, but I'm pretty sure he's going to notice what you're doing and once again try to use it against you, so try both and see what works best, I guess? But Suna-san is definitely the one who's going to give you the more trouble, probably even more than the Miya Twins or Ojiro-san, and let me tell you, if Atsumu-san figures that you can't deal with Suna-san, then he's going to explore that a lot, trust me on this, once he sees a weakness, he won't let it go."

"What about their libero? He seems good," Nishinoya asked and Shouyou-san nodded.

"And he is, he's a very talented defender, he has sharp instincts and quick reflexes, he has a very strong serve-receive and he excels at receiving and digging. Also, I have a feeling that he works a lot with the blockers to accomplish a better defense on the court, but their libero is not the only good defender that Inarizaki has, their Captain is also very good at defense. To be honest, he's one of the ones who worries me the most, not just because of how great of a defender he is, but because of the mental fortitude that he provides for the team. You see, Inarizaki tends to get bad habits as the match progresses, the Miya Twins get competitive, Ojiro-san starts to feel the pressure, Suna-san starts to get lazy, and their #5 tends to get reckless with his attacks, but as soon as that guy enters the court is like those habits disappear and Inarizaki starts behaving, and the more they behave, the better they play. If the big guns of the team send you into despair, that guy is gonna make sure that you stay there for a very long time, he's a little scary."

"You seem to know a lot about a team that you probably only faced once or twice, especially about their setter," Tsukishima commented and Shouyou-san shrugged. "Many of their players are in the pro-leagues now, so I still watch them play sometimes. Just because I live in Brazil doesn't mean I can't watch Japanese games, you know. Especially when people I _actually_ know are the ones playing."

"Is that all you can tell us about Inarizaki?" Keishin asked and Shouyou-san thought about it for a moment and then his eyes widened and he gasped in surprise. "How could I forgot about that?!" Shouyou-san shouted in surprise and the team looked a little confused and afraid. "Forgot about what?"

"There's something you should know about Inarizaki, since they're so famous, especially the Miya Twins, many fans tend to show up to their games, that accompanied with their big orchestra and cheer squad, is going to bring a lot of trouble. You see, they're foxes, so they like to use tricks. Out of the court, their orchestra and cheerleaders use rythm and sound to distract the players, especially the servers. They used booing or a beat to break their concentration. Inside of the court, Inarizaki tends to use time and tricks, especially Osamu-san. I think Coach Ukai said that it was their way of expanding their territory. Whatever that means."

"Well, that sounds lovely," Sugawara commented with a sour look on his face.

"Yeah, that's going to be troublesome, but now that we know about it, then maybe it won't affect us as much, the element of surprise would be gone at least, that doesn't mean is not going to cause us trouble though. Anything else you have to add?" Keishin asked and Shouyou-san shook his head. "No, I think that's it, if I remember something else then I'll tell you."

"Alright, what about Kamomedai?" Keishin asked and Shouyou-san stiffened, Keishin noticed how the eyes of the older redhead suddenly changed, they became sharper and even his tone changed, he sounded more serious now. "Oh yeah, those guys."

"That bad, huh?" The team asked and Shouyou-san sighed. "Let's put it this way, think about a team formed with the most terrifying servers and blockers you know, and that's Kamomedai for you." Whatever 'team' the guys were imagining right now, clearly was something to be truly terrified about, because they started to look a little sick. "We really didn't need to know that."

"Anyway, Kamomedai is good, as in _plain_ good, as in annoying and boring good. They're like, a little army of perfectionists. They're like soldiers going to war instead of high schoolers enjoying a sport. Man, those guys truly need to loosen up a little once in a while, looking at how stiff they are gives me the creeps." Shouyou-san shivered. "Their blocking is like a maxed-up Date Tech, and their serving is like Atsumu-san and Oikawa-san switching places just to torture you. And they're like robots, it doesn't matter what happens during the game, they'll never lose their cool. But out of all their incredible players, there's one who worries me the most, can I borrow that for a second?" Shouyou-san asked while pointing at the control, Keishin nodded and gave it to him.

"Hoshiumi-san, right?" Kageyama asked with a knowing look on his face and the team stiffened.

"No, not him," Shouyou-san replied distractedly, Kageyama looked surprised and a little curious.

"Really? I thought it would be him, since he's... well, you know," Kageyama said and Shouyou-san looked confused. "No, I don't know what you mean. And of course you should be worry about the guy, he's Kamomedai's _tiny_ one man army, but he's not the one who worries _me_ the most."

"That's strange," Kageyama commented with a frown. "Also, you're not that much taller, you know."

"No one asked you, Little Kageyama."

"Don't call me that!"

"Well, you're younger, shorter, and skinnier than the Kageyama I know, so deal with it!" Shouyou-san said and Kageyama huffed in annoyance and the team chuckled.

"You just can't win, buddy," Tanaka said with a little laugh.

"There!" Shouyou-san suddenly shouted once he found what he was looking for and pointed to the screen. "That bastard is the one who worries me the most, their middle blocker, the Immovable Hirugami," Shouyou-san said while muttering something under his breath about stupid robots, dumb statues, and coldhearted soldiers.

"If it weren't for the fact that you look so pissed right now, I would be laughing my ass off at the little nickname," Tanaka commented.

"Me too," Nishinoya agreed, the rest of the team nodded in agreement.

"What's wrong? Finally found someone who doesn't fall for your dirty little tricks?" Tsukishima teased.

"That sounded so wrong, Tsukishima!" Tanaka and Nishinoya shouted in unison.

"He did fall!" Shouyou-san huffed in annoyance.

"Really?"

"He did!"

"Aha."

"He _did_."

"Sure."

" _Fine_ , it only happened like a couple of times, and it took a lot of effort and time but it _did_ happen," Shouyou-san finally admitted and Tsukishima grinned in victory. "But ever since that time, I always wondered how differently that match would've gone if I made him react sooner or a little more."

"You really are a sore loser," Tsukishima said while rolling his eyes. Shouyou-san got a weird look on his face all of a sudden.

Keishin has never seen that look in any of the two Hinatas, so he didn't know what it meant, but it did worry him. " _I_ didn't lose," Shouyou-san whispered under his breath and Keishin shivered at the tone of his voice. Who was this guy? And why did he worry Shouyou-san so much?

"Besides, I'm not talking just about me here, Karasuno's style of playing involves many tricks, and trust me on this, he's not going to fall for any of them. It doesn't matter how many times Kageyama tries to trick him and bait him, it's just not going to work. It doesn't matter how many times you use the synchronized attack, he's gonna read you every single time. Shouyou-kun is pretty much going to be useless against him, you think Tendou-san was bad? This guy is even _worse_ , he's gonna read you like a book and stop you _every single time_."

"You really hate him, don't you?" Sugawara asked with a sweat. "Hate him? I don't think so, I just want revenge."

"So? Why don't you get it?"

"Because the damn _seagull statue_ isn't in the pro-leagues, he quit Volleyball after high school. But, now's my chance." Shouyou-san smiled darkly and turned to look at Hinata-kun. "I'm so going to make him pay attention to you!" Shouyou-san said and Hinata-kun made a weird sound and immediately hide himself behind Kageyama.

"Your face is scary, what are you scheming?" Hinata-kun asked in fear and Kageyama also smiled darkly.

"Wait, Hinata. It might not be a bad idea," Kageyama said and Hinata-kun shifted to look at him and made that weird sound again. "Ah, there are two of them now!"

"Come on, don't you want to defeat such a strong and intimidating blocker?" Kageyama asked and Hinata-kun thought about it and nodded. "Then listen to him."

"Yeah, but later, we have to continue the meeting, we're running out of time. What about Nekoma and Fukurodani? You have anything to add there, Shouyou-san?" Keishin asked and Shouyou-san nodded.

"You already know how Nekoma plays and the kind of players they have. I don't think I need to say this, but the one you need to be really careful of is Kenma. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but _dammit,_ he's annoying and hard to deal with when we're out on the court. He's clever and observant, and he likes to use a lot of tricks." Shouyou-san stopped there and turned to look at Hinata-kun and Kageyama. "He's going to come between the two of you, he's going to try to separate you, he knows that Kageyama-kun won't toss for the useless, so he's going to make him lose interest in Shouyou-kun by not letting Shouyou-kun jump."

"Sounds like he wants to break them up," Tsukishima commented and Yamaguchi frowned. "Yeah, that's exactly what Shouyou-san is saying, Tsukki."

"That's not what I meant, I'll explain later."

"That's just stupid," Kageyama said and Shouyou-san chuckled. "Is it really? I'm pretty sure that Kageyama felt for it, even if it was just for a little bit."

"I'm not him!"

"Technically, you are."

"Anyway," Keishin said before they could get sidetracked again. "What about Fukurodani?"

"You also already know the way they play and their players, don't underestimate them, especially not Akaashi-san and Bokuto-san, I know what you think about Bokuto-san, but he's top five for a reason, and keep in mind that this is his last Spring Tournament, he's going to give it his all, he's gonna go all out," Shouyou-san said and the team nodded.

After that they continue to talk more about the teams and players, Shouyou-san had a lot to say about Itachiyama too, especially about Sakusa. After giving a once over to the papers and discussing what strategies would work best against a certain team or player, the long meeting finally came to a close.

Keishin gave the guys an hour to eat lunch and once they finished eating it was time to start their warm ups.

Receiving drills went smoothly, it was clear that in just a week the team had improved their defense by a lot.

Blocking also went smoothly, it was also clear that the team was now more aware of the ball and how the players moved.

Spiking practice went a little awkward, though. Asahi, Tanaka, and Hinata-kun seemed to be trying new moves and they were completely failing at it, Kageyama was starting to get irritated, better say, he had been irritated ever since Miya Atsumu was brought up.

But what truly convinced Keishin that Kageyama had definitely not gotten over whatever was bothering him at the start of the week, was Hinata-kun's comments to Tsukishima about Date Tech's setter. Keishin was starting to worry, they really didn't need a repeat of last Saturday's practice. The guys were taking a break from their warm ups when Takeda-sensei got a call that Date Tech was close.

"Oi, Karasuno," Shouyou-san suddenly said and the team turned to look at him. "Get familiar with those walls, you need this practice, trust me." The team nodded and after that little warning, Keishin and Takeda-sensei headed for the school gates to wait for their guests.

As soon as Date Tech stepped into the gym, the tension in the room seemed to rise.

Date Tech bowed to Karasuno, and the team bowed back. It was clear that a part of the team still was afraid of Date Tech, but it was also clear that weird friendships had started to form between the two teams, Date Tech's setter seemed very happy to see Karasuno's middle blockers, and of course, there was also that weird friendship between Aone and Hinata-kun, Keishin still didn't know how _that_ happened. Their personalities were complete opposites, but Keishin could understand that their friendship was mostly born out of respect and admiration for each other. Both boys were incredible players and they knew it and respected that.

Coach Oiwake congratulated the team for beating Shiratorizawa and making it into the Spring Tournament, the team thanked the man and the players who also congratulated them. It didn't take long for Date Tech to notice Shouyou-san. "Hinata, you're multiplying!" Koganegawa shouted and both Hinata's sweat dropped.

"No, I'm not! He's my big brother!" Hinata-kun said and Date Tech looked utterly surprise.

During lunch, the team had come up with a story for Shouyou-san, the older redhead was now Hinata Hikaru - (name chosen by Sugawara and the managers) - he's Hinata-kun's older brother by ten years, he moved to Brazil after finishing high school, once he was there, he became a Beach Volleyball player, and later a coach for an indoor Volleyball team, and since he has already used the lie with Oikawa, he's also a former setter. He's visiting his family for the holidays, and is helping with the team while he's around.

The story wasn't technically a lie, many of the things in the story were things that Shouyou-san had _rea_ _lly_ done, Keishin only hopes that Date Tech buys the story and that the team doesn't screw up by calling him _Shouyou-san_ instead of _Hinata-san_ in front of Date Tech.

"Date Tech, this is Hinata Hikaru, Hinata-kun's older brother, he's going to observe the practice match, if it doesn't bother you, of course. Hinata-san, this is Date Tech, the team with the best blocking in Miyagi," Sensei said and Shouyou-san greeted Date Tech, the other team still looked a little dumbfounded but they greeted him back anyway.

Coach Oiwake gave the older redhead a once over and then looked between the two Hinatas and hummed. "I see, I don't have any problem with him staying, and I don't think my boys do, either. Or do you?"

"No, sir!" _Man, they're loud._ "See? No problem at all." Coach Oiwake looked at Shouyou-san again. "Do you play Volleyball, Hinata-san?"

"Yes, I do."

"What position do you play?"

"He's good at everything," Hinata-kun said with a pout and Shouyou-san smacked him in the head. "Setter." Koganegawa looked interested at that and Kageyama huffed in annoyance. That little reaction didn't go unnoticed by some of Date Tech's players.

"He's better than _you_ , huh." Date Tech's new Captain taunted the young setter who huffed again. "No, he _isn't_."

"That's not what your face is saying." Date Tech suddenly looked way more interested in Shouyou-san. Even the coach's eyes were sparkling in interest now. Keishin cleared his throat. "You can start getting ready now, we already did our warm ups so the court is all yours," Keishin said and Coach Oiwake nodded at him and started organizing his team.

Keishin had a little meeting with his boys while Date Tech did their stretches. "Listen up, guys. We already know Date Tech has the best blocking in the prefecture, but I heard that they only got better at it after the Spring Tournament prelims. Their blocking is definitely on a national level now. Like Hinata-san said, get familiar with those walls, that way you won't panic when you face similar walls during Nationals, this is a time for discovery and growth, don't get stressed out there, don't panic, think and come up with a strategy, no two spikers are the same, so think and try to find out what works best for you. We already know that there's a team out there with better blocking than theirs, but we're not facing them now, don't think about them now, don't get overwhelmed. Think about the opponent that is in front of you _now_ , not the one that you _might_ play against in the future. Relax and think, once you open up your minds, you'll start to see the cracks on the wall, find those weaknesses and explore them, that's the best chance you got."

To be honest, Keishin wouldn't be so worry about the practice match if it weren't for the fact that Shouyou-san looked so worry about it.

There was also Kageyama, good blockers don't just put pressure on the spikers, but they also put pressure on the setter too. Kageyama has been building up a hurricane of emotions since he came back from the camp, he wasn't in the right mind for this match, he would probably lose his cool and make rash decisions during the match. Keishin just hopes that Kageyama's teammates are enough to control him. This match is probably going to be a harder match for Kageyama than the one against Shiratorizawa. The problem here is that the more stressed Kageyama gets during the match, the easier that it'll be for Date Tech to control him and manipulate him, Keishin just hopes that Kageyama realizes it in time.

As soon as the match started Keishin knew that Kageyama had already become Date Tech's prey, they were manipulating him, making him choose anything but the middle, the good thing is that the team has gotten better at receiving, so even if Karasuno keeps getting blocked, the ball never hits the floor. This match just turned into a battle of wills. Date Tech's new Captain also liked to use taunts and he turned Kageyama and Tsukishima into his new targets.

"Kageyama-kun looks very stressed out there," Takeda-sensei commented and Keishin nodded.

"A setter never likes when their spikers get blocked, especially not their favorite one," Keishin said as Hinata-kun was blocked by Aone.

"Hinata-kun is Kageyama-kun's favorite spiker?" Sensei asked and Keishin nodded.

"Every setter has a favorite spiker whether they realize it or not. The spiker they trust the most when in a tight spot, the one they try new moves with, the ones that they like tossing to the most, the ones they want to impress. For Kageyama, that spiker is Hinata-kun. All week, Hinata-kun's attacks have been getting blocked and received. He hasn't said anything because he knows is what's best for the team but he hates our new training methods, he hates when Hinata's attacks don't work. His face has been getting more tense with every practice, that's why I sent him to practice with Nishinoya yesterday. There's also the fact that now he knows that Hinata won't be there forever, I still don't know how he took those news. Shouyou-san's comments about Miya, Kozume, and Hirugami also affected him. You should've seen his face when Shouyou-san was talking about them. Add all of that up with whatever was bothering him last Saturday and you get a bomb ready to explode."

"I thought he already got over that after his talk with Shouyou-san on Sunday," Sensei commented and Keishin shook his head.

"Words are powerful, they can build you up or destroy you in a second, but actions are always going to be more powerful. Insecurities won't just die because you had a pep talk, actions are required too. That talk might've helped at that moment, but what happened this week definitely was stronger than whatever Shouyou-san told him that day."

On the court, Kageyama definitely kept getting more and more frustrated, he was starting to give dirty looks to his teammates. Once Date Tech did a feint and Nishinoya dived to receive it, it finally happened.

"Nishinoya-san! You're in the way!" Kageyama shouted and the whole team looked shocked, even Date Tech looked shocked, and Keishin could swear that he heard Shouyou-san face palming in the background.

Nishinoya gave Kageyama a look that clearly say ' _Not this, again_ ', but he asked for an explanation anyway, after Kageyama gave him one, Nishinoya nodded and apologized but the damage was already done, the tension was already rising in the room.

Things definitely kept getting worse on the court, especially since Date Tech's retired third years showed up to cheer for their team. Kageyama started to snap more often to his teammates and he definitely had it out for Tsukishima. Keishin could hear his students whispering about Kageyama and that was definitely Shouyou-san groaning in the background. It got so bad that Sensei wanted to call for a time out, but Keishin didn't let him, the first set would be over soon, anyway.

Kageyama wasn't the only one having trouble out there, the guys were clearly stressed and they were definitely worrying too much about getting blocked. They were probably thinking that if they couldn't handle Date Tech right now, then they sure as hell couldn't handle the blockers at Nationals, especially not the team that worries Shouyou-san so much. Keishin was regretting doing that meeting before the match, the guys were definitely overthinking things now.

It was no surprise at all that Date Tech took the first set, Keishin looked at his boys and sighed, he needed to find the right words to say to them but nothing came to mind.

"I..." Kageyama started to say with a strained voice and the team turned to look at him. "I know my tosses are good! So, please, score more often!" Kageyama shouted, stunning the team into silence.

Tsukishima was the least surprised out of all them and didn't missed the opportunity to taunt the young setter. "Well, would you look at that? Is the return of the King."

Kageyama seemed to realized what he had done and tried to apologize but then a Volleyball smacked him in the head. The team gasped in surprise and even Date Tech was choking on their drinks.

"You're not the Great King!" Hinata-kun shouted. "You're not setter Miya-san, either! You're not Kenma or Kogane! And you're definitely not Suga-san or Akaashi-san! You're Kageyama Tobio! You're Karasuno's King of the Court, you're Miyagi's best setter. Who cares about what happened at that camp?! Of course there's always going to be people better than you! That's life, welcome to it, you big idiot! Who cares about what happened in Junior High?! Fighting and disagreements between teammates is normal! Who cares about how good those All-Japan guys are?! Who cares if your former teammates didn't jump?! _We're_ your teammates now! We're here and we'll jump for you, just ask us how high. Even Tsukishima jumps for you and he can't stand you, but do you know why he still jumps? Because unlike _them,_ we really want to win. You can't win alone, there are six of us out there! So use us already, dammit! What are you, scared?! Or are we not good enough for you, Mr. All-Japan?!"

Hinata-kun's face was an angry red by the time he finished his little rant, Kageyama and the rest of the team looked stunned. For how long had Hinata-kun been swallowing those words? It seems like Kageyama wasn't the only bomb waiting for a little spark to ignite them and explode. Hinata-kun and Kageyama tend to spend a lot of their time together, had Kageyama been taking his frustrations out on the little spiker? Was this the result of that?

"What's wrong with him being the King? Is it because he's too bossy? Too self-centered? Is it because he's too hard to deal with? Well, I don't care how good of a player he is, if he tells me something I don't like, or in a way I don't like it, then I'm not going to listen to him! If he can't be a good teammate, then I'm not going to be one either. I'll treat him like he treats me and be done with it, if he doesn't like it, then that's his problem and not mine, he gets what he deserves."

In no time the rest of the team started to agree with Young Hinata's words and since the weird duo was speaking their minds now, then so did the rest of the team. Keishin started to chuckle, actions are always more powerful than words.

"Kageyama-kun," Shouyou-san said all of sudden and everyone turned to look at him.

"The only way to evolve is to not dwell on the past, yesterday is gone, is nothing but history. What matters is today, what are you going to do today? What about tomorrow? Think about the here and now. In a team communication is key, you suck at it, is true. But that doesn't mean is only your fault, is their fault too. They don't know how to tell you when you mess up, is it because they don't know how to? Is it because they're afraid? Who knows. So far, you all have been making mistakes, you're too comfortable in your own shells right now, but you're crows and you need to learn how to fly. Tsukishima-kun and Shouyou can jump higher, Tsukishima-kun can handle higher tosses, and Shouyou can handle faster tosses. Asahi-san and Tanaka-san are power attackers, so slow your tosses for them a little bit, that way they can see the blockers better and break the wall, people tend to forget that Daichi-san is good at offense too, so use that to your advantage. All of you have been adapting to your bad habits and if you continue that way, then you won't even make it through the first round of Nationals. You have an opportunity to grow right in front of you, don't waste it or you'll regret it. If you want to win then go out there and become a team that deserves to go to Nationals. You think the other teams are resting right now? No, they're evolving, becoming better and stronger with every second that passes by, don't get left behind." The team nodded dumbfounded, this was pretty much the first time that Shouyou-san scolded them, so they didn't know how to react.

"See? No one cares if you're the King or not. I mean Kings are supposed to be cool, right? Isn't it great that you have such a cool nickname? It makes me so jealous," Hinata-kun said and the team chuckled.

"Nothing beats a set that is easy for the spiker to hit, and the only way to find that perfect set is through communication, but that doesn't mean you can't fight," Keishin said and smiled at the young setter. Asahi told Kageyama that he had been working on his timing and Tanaka told him that he has been trying for a 'super sharp cut shot', Hinata-kun told Kageyama that Tsukishima could fly higher, and that he wasn't going to let Tsukishima beat him in height.

After hearing what his teammates had to say Kageyama took a deep breath and turned to look at Daichi. "I'm going to be tossing to you more, Date Tech doesn't expect you to attack so that might work for a while." Daichi nodded and smiled at Kageyama.

The young setter then turned to look at Asahi and Tanaka. "I'll slow my tosses for the two of you a little bit more so you can see the blockers better, I wish you good luck on perfecting your new weapons." Asahi and Tanaka smiled at Kageyama and thanked him.

Kageyama then turned to look at Tsukishima and grimaced. "Listen, I'm not going to stood down to your level, if you can jump higher, then _jump_ _higher_ , is the only way we can beat them." Tsukishima and Yamaguchi really didn't look happy at that little comment but Tsukishima reluctantly agreed.

"And _you_..." Kageyama said and grabbed a hold of Hinata-kun's shirt. "If you really are my spiker, then fly for me! I know I suck at explaining things, but something just clicked with you while watching the real deal, didn't it? So fly as high as I ask you to!"

"Of course I will, I'm gonna fly higher and you better be there to reach me!" Hinata-kun shouted right in front of Kageyama's face and the young setter smiled at him. "Also, if you hit me with a Volleyball again, I'm going to kill you, understood?!"

"Yes, sir!"

"The second set is about to start so get ready," Keishin said and his boys nodded and went back to their places.

As soon as the second set started, Kageyama tossed higher for Tsukishima, unfortunately they didn't sync up, fortunately for them, Nishinoya managed to save the ball and he sent it to Date Tech's side. On the second try, the spike ended being an out, but the new move clearly surprised Date Tech, Kageyama looked very smug about it, Tsukishima was analyzing the blockers in front of him, so he didn't noticed the look. Or at least, he hadn't noticed until Tanaka pointed it out for him, Tsukishima turned to look at Kageyama with a scowl and Kageyama smirked.

"So, you _can_ fly."

"Well, _I am_ a crow."

"Boys, the game."

"Right!"

Using Daichi more on offense did work for a little bit, but the more that Date Tech played against Karasuno, the better they got. Karasuno wasn't the only one evolving here. The battle of wills was now a battle to see who could evolve faster. The third time that Tsukishima and Kageyama tried their new move it miraculously did go as planned, the team cheered for the both of them, but the ones who actually did it, just glared at each other.

"At least high five or something, guys!" Sugawara shouted but Tsukishima and Kageyama only glared harder at each other. 

"Boys, the game," Daichi reminded them again and the guys went back to their positions. 

Once Hinata-kun was back to the game, he surprised everyone by jumping really, really high, even Kageyama looked surprised as the loud ' _boom_ ' resonated throughout the gym, Shouyou-san was laughing in delight in the background and he only laughed harder when Kageyama missed Hinata-kun's contact point and Hinata-kun forgot to swing.

"I forgot to hit!"

"If you can't do both then don't do it, boke!"

"Oh shut up! You just missed me there!"

"But it would've been fine if you had just reacted in time!"

"Oh, man. You guys are totally hopeless," Shouyou-san said while laughing uncontrollably.

"Shut up! You try it, then!" Kageyama and Hinata-kun shouted in unison.

"Boys, the game!"

Asahi and Tanaka definitely didn't wanted to get left behind by their juniors, and Asahi finally managed to get his timing right to trick the blockers, Date Tech was definitely surprise and the new Captain was totally losing his cool out there, and the taunts of his senpais were just adding more fuel to the fire. Tanaka still couldn't get his 'super sharp cut shot,' but he sure as hell was giving the blockers more trouble now that he could see them better. Slower tosses were working wonders for the two boys.

The end of the second set was coming near, Karasuno was in the lead now but Date Tech was too close for comfort. Just one more point for Karasuno and they'll get the set, but if Date Tech got this point then it would be a deuce, and Date Tech could win the match. Date Tech's Captain did another feint but Nishinoya was there to save the ball and this time he made sure to not be in anybody's way.

Hinata-kun moved so fast that by the time everyone realized what had just happened he was already high in the air, higher than Date Tech's blockers could reach.

"Bring it here, Kageyama!" Hinata-kun shouted and Kageyama smiled at him.

"Don't you dare miss!" Kageyama shouted back, and in the blink of an eye the ball was already there, Hinata-kun spiked the ball and it landed with a loud ' _bang_ ' on the other side of the court. It was like seeing the freak quick for the very first time without previous knowledge of it, everyone looked stunned, not even Hinata-kun and Kageyama seemed to believe what they had just done.

"That was..." Sensei started to say.

"Hoshiumi's jump plus the freak quick," Keishin finished for him.

"What the hell?! What was that?!" Date Tech and Karasuno shouted in unison and Shouyou-san laughed in delight.

"Way to go, kiddos!" Shouyou-san shouted and that seemed to be what broke the spell. Kageyama and Hinata-kun looked at each other and started celebrating.

"It was there! It really was there! The ball was there! Just what kind of freak are you? Are you an alien?! A wizard?! Are your hands magic?!" Hinata-kun asked and grabbed Kageyama's hands to confirm that they were real.

"I'm the freak?! When did you even get there?! You scared the crap out of me! Don't you dare do that again! Give me a signal next time, you idiot!" Kageyama shouted back.

"I just thought that the best way to get past the blockers was with speed and height, so I did it. I knew the ball would be there for me, I mean I can fly but you're the amazing one, I can't win on my own, you once said that you'll help me break any wall, so I jumped." Kageyama looked at Hinata-kun in disbelief and Hinata-kun smiled at him, he ran out of the court and grabbed his towel.

"The setter is the team's control tower!" Hinata-kun started to say while mimicking Kageyama's voice, he was even trying to straighten down his hair to look like Kageyama's.

"It's the setter that handles the ball the most in a match. It's the most dominant role! It's the coolest!" Kageyama's eyes started to widen and Hinata-kun started to form a crown with his towel.

"Spikers can't shoot without the setter. Is the setter that tricks the enemy blockers. The setter tears down walls for the spiker. It's difficult, it's cool, it's fun and that's the setter!" Both Date Tech and Karasuno started to look curiously at the two boys.

"I'm not just gonna forget that you said all that. No matter how much you try to act like a Goody-Two-Shoes, you're a King deep down inside! Prepare yourself..." Hinata-kun said as he started to get closer to Kageyama.

"From this day on you shall be known as..." Hinata-kun jumped and crowned Kageyama with his towel. "The new King of the Court!"

Everyone gasped in surprise at the scene playing right in front of them, Hinata-kun smiled at Kageyama and the young setter threw him the towel, it hit Hinata-kun in the face and the little spiker made a little sound of surprise.

Keishin didn't missed the small smile in Kageyama's face and the way he relaxed all of sudden, even his eyes looked less burdened now.

" _Now_ he got over it," Keishin told Takeda-sensei who nodded in agreement. Words are humanity's greatest weapon, but words get carried by the wind, they get lost in time and only our actions is what remains. Shouyou-san's words might've helped, but it was Hinata-kun's actions what just killed all of Kageyama's insecurities.

"Was my life really _this_ dramatic when I was their age?" Shouyou-san asked all of a sudden and the whole team turned to look at him in disbelief. "What? I don't remembered it being _that_ bad!"

"Hinata-san, we really need to work on your timing," Sugawara said and the man looked confused. "What did I do?"

"He's clueless."

Soon it was time to start the third set, Daichi and Nishinoya were on point with their defense, Tanaka still couldn't get that perfect spike that he was looking for, but he did become more difficult to deal with for the blockers. Asahi still hasn't perfected his new move but it sure was giving Date Tech a few headaches, so was Tsukishima with his new jump.

But what really send Date Tech into despair was Hinata-kun and Kageyama's new faster and higher quick, even if they jumped twice or higher they still couldn't get a hand on it, the freak duo was back and they were having more fun than ever.

The Iron Wall was evolving, it was becoming higher and stronger, but Karasuno was evolving too. They were flying faster and higher now, their spears were sharper and their shields were stronger. Keishin couldn't help but smile. Look at us, world! This is the new Karasuno. Are you ready for us?

It was no surprise that Karasuno managed to take the third set and win the practice match, the battle of wills and evolution finally coming to a close with the crows coming up on top, but Date Tech wasn't going to give up so easy.

"One more time!" All Date Tech players shouted in unison and their coach laughed.

"We have never had a practice match against you, but we heard the rumors, you like to go all out, don't you? My boys have been very excited about this, so please give them another chance. Besides, there's something that I want to try," Coach Oiwake said and Karasuno shared looks between them. Silently communicating with each other, Keishin got the message and nodded.

"We can give you another chance, but what's the condition?" Keishin asked and Coach Oiwake smiled and looked directly at Shouyou-san. "You, Hinata-san, was it? Get in there and play against my boys."

"WHAT?!"

"Wait a minute, Oiwake-san. He's not..."

"Sensei, it's okay," Shouyou-san said and then looked straight at Coach Oiwake. "Why?"

"Your eyes, they're sharp and too knowing, when everyone else was panicking and trying to look for a way to overcome the Iron Wall, you were looking at my boys like you already knew what to do. You're a smart one, aren't you?" Coach Oiwake asked and Shouyou-san smiled. "Not at all, I just really hate losing."

"What a coincidence, my boys hate losing too, so give them a chance." Shouyou-san looked at Date Tech, he gave the team a once over and smiled. "You guys really think you can take me?" Date Tech scowled at that question. "Bring it!"

Shouyou-san smiled. "Okay, let's do this."

"You're so going to regret that!" Karasuno warned their opponents and Shouyou-san only smiled wider but Date Tech wasn't backing down.

This practice match just got way more interesting.

* * *

_**Tuesday, September 20, 2022** _

**_São Paulo, Brazil._ ** ****

****It has already been a week, a week since Hinata disappeared without a trace.

Pedro-san has been calling hospitals, morgues, airports, stations, and even jails, but there were no news about Hinata in any of them.

Tobio, ASAS, and the Jackals had been spreading posters all over São Paulo, but no one had called them with any news.

Kozume-san keeps checking Hinata's bank account but there hasn't been any weird activites on it and hacking Hinata's phone turned out to be useless, Kozume-san was losing his mind, saying that it seemed like Hinata's phone just disappeared from existence.

Tobio's phone started ringing and he answered as soon as he saw the name on the screen.

"Daichi-san?"

_"Kageyama, how's it going? Any news?"_

"None. Kozume-san keeps trying to hack Hinata's phone but he has been unsuccessful so far. Pedro-san keeps calling everywhere, but no one has seen him and the police just don't have any leads."

_"This is unbelievable. Are you all sure he never mentioned anything to any of you about meeting anyone weird or a crazy fan or something?"_

"We have been asking everywhere and the answer is always no."

_"What about a partner? An affair?"_

"Hinata is not like that!"

_"Okay, okay. I'm just saying, this is just too weird."_

"I know. We really don't know what to do anymore."

_"As someone who deals with this kind of stuff on a daily basis, let me tell you, sometimes, the right answers for these questions are found where you least expect them."_

"At this point, I don't care where we find them, I just want a clue, even if it's a small one."

_"Have faith, son. You'll find the answers right in front of you if you just have faith and believe that they'll appear. I have to go, don't forget to keep the groupchat updated, everyone is worried sick."_

"Don't worry, I will. I'll talk to you later, Daichi-san." Once Daichi-san said his goodbyes, Tobio ended the call.

Tobio looked around the room and sighed. All of them had decided to stay at Hinata's apartment in case something happened and sometimes it got a little cramped for all of them and personalities started to clash, but all of them understood that this wasn't about them, it was about finding Hinata.

Pedro-san was on the phone, he was always on the phone, either making calls or receiving calls from people who called on a daily basis to see if there were any news about Hinata. Tobio knew that Hinata's family, Oikawa-san, Hinata's Beach Volleyball Coach, and Heitor-san and his wife called Pedro-san everyday.

They weren't the only ones, Kozume-san and the Jackals also got many calls during the day. Karasuno and the Adlers also liked to keep in touch with Tobio, but he preferred to keep them undated through texts instead of calls.

Tobio sighed when he noticed that Kozume-san was still trying to hack Hinata's phone, the former setter just wasn't giving up on that. Bokuto-san and Miya-san were printing more posters for tomorrow, Tobio frowned, he hasn't seen Sakusa-san all day.

"Bokuto-san, where's Sakusa-san?" Tobio asked and the two Jackals shared a look. "Omi-Omi was getting very stressed and irritated, so he went to do his rituals."

"I'm sorry?"

Miya-san rolled his eyes. "What he _means_ , is that Omi-kun has been cleanin' every inch of Shouyou-kun's apartment, is the only way he knows how to deal with the stress." Tobio nodded in understanding, that does sound like something Sakusa-san would do.

Tobio turned on the TV, the news were about to start and they always watched them in case something involving Hinata was brought up.

Five minutes after the news started, Sakusa-san started screaming, everyone stopped what they were doing at the sound, and as soon as Miya-san and Tobio realized that the screams were coming from Hinata's bedroom, they all rushed there.

Hinata's bedroom was off limits, only the police has been there before, so what was Sakusa-san doing there and why was he screaming?

* * *

Hey, there! I just made a Twitter! Follow me here for news about my current works and sneak peeks about what I have planned for my future works - [@Elainestories](https://twitter.com/Elainestories?s=09)

Hope to see you over there, bye! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back to cliffhangers! Don't kill me.
> 
> QOTD: How much is Shouyou-san going to torture Date Tech? Why is Sakusa-san screaming? (Probably because Shouyou-san didn't clean his bedroom 😂) Find out next chapter!
> 
> Date Tech just debuted (in my story) what did you think about them? Also, as you can probably already tell, Nationals aren't going to go the way they did before, that's the whole point of a time travel story so don't expect canon to repeat itself. 
> 
> My god, this chapter took a lot to write, not because is long, I don't think is that long, but because of all the research that went into this, and because I actually had to follow canon there for a second. If you recognized some of the dialogue, is because some of it is taken from the anime/manga. I know some people were wondering about how I was going to deal with the whole "King Kageyama" thing, and I hope I didn't disappointed you. I tried to follow canon there for a little bit, but I also tried to make it my own, like I twisted some things around so it wouldn't be an exact copy of how canon handled things. And yes, I totally used Atsumu as the catalyst, sorry 'Tsumu. You know I love you, you mustard-haired disaster. 💛
> 
> Another thing, I also really like how pretty much the last arc of Haikyuu was like a battle between those who were born gifted but curse (MSBY4 + Oikawa), against those who were gifted and blessed (Adlers Trio), so I'm going to try to play with that for awhile because I really like that concept, a fight between the lucky ones and the fighters, talent vs. hard work and all that jazz. You'll see what I mean as the story progresses, be patient.
> 
> So since I know that you're going to have a ton of questions after reading this, I'm not going to do the Q&A section, just throw all your questions at me in the comments, curse me for that cliffhanger if you want too, just don't go too far. I'm sensitive, okay?
> 
> Soooo, hope you enjoyed the chapter, the next one is a juicy one too, so keep a lookout for it. Wear a mask if you go out, wash your hands regularly, if you can take the vaccine, then take it, is nothing out of this world, trust me. Take care of your loved ones, stay safe, stay healthy, have a nice week and I'll write to you guys later, bye! ✌🙂


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